Business Proposal
by AuKatzen
Summary: Sakura Kinomoto's life is put on halt when she is faced with the decision to either plunge her family's company into utter turmoil and bankruptcy, or marry a man she's never even seen before. (Marry forever.) (Like... forever, forever.) AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Oh, I hope you like it! This story has been in the making for at least two years, off and on. I've finally mustered the courage to post it. Have fun reading!**

**(disclaimer: I literally own none of this.)**

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

I mumbled a curse into my pillow and flailed my arm to turn off the alarm buzzing in my ear. It seemed to be enjoying my misery.

After I stumbled out of bed slowly, proud of myself for getting up on time, did I remember I had hit the snooze button in my sleep. Afraid to look at the time, I ran into my closet and threw clothes onto my body. I was probably already late for work, but freaking YOLO.

"Good morning," I mumbled groggily as Tomoyo sat in the living room downstairs, watching me in amusement.

"Sakura, do you want me to make you some coffee? You're going to be late anyways. There's no reason to stress yourself out more." She turned her attention back to What Not to Wear. "Oh no, she can't be serious."

I grabbed a granola bar out of the cabinet and stuffed it into my face. "Deh ehndereshhtt meerrhh Tehhhrrmmerrh!"

"Have a good day!" she called to me as I scrambled out the front door and into my car.

I turned the radio to a rock station, pumping myself for the traffic jam ahead. However, due to my lateness, there was barely any traffic and the commute to my uncle's company was much faster than I had anticipated. Finally daring to look at the clock, I sighed in relief. Three minutes. I could _do_ this. _I WAS THE MAN_.

I pulled into the crowded parking lot quickly, nicking a nice sports car on the way into my spot. Without time to write a note I slammed the door and hurried inside, inwardly pumping a fist for the middle class.

The secretary shook her head in disgrace when I stumbled into the door. "Sakura, you might as well just come in late and look appropriate."

"What? Is my shirt inside out again?" I looked down quickly. "_No._"

"Here, just switch it under my desk. The Lis are waiting for you in the conference room."

I ducked under her desk and switched my shirt quickly. It was then I realized I forgot shoes again.

"Naoko!"

She rolled her eyes and slid her heels off in exasperation. "I swear, Sakura, if we weren't friends."

"I would be dead in a gutter," I called while I ran down the hall into the conference room. I quickly straightened out my outfit and fixed my hair before I opened the door.

"Ah, Sakura, thanks for coming," my uncle said sarcastically from the head of the table. I held up a hand in apology and sat in the only open chair.

"Well then, let's get started. As we all know, the Li Company has invited us to discuss a new business opportunity. Mr. Li?" he introduced.

A handsome young man stood up and thanked my uncle, then went off on something businessy. It was so weird when these guys started going on about "stock markets" or "gross income". I took the opportunity to doodle on my notepad, making out less than half of what was going on.

"As I was saying," the Li man continued, "my father is distrustful of merging companies without a... legal agreement between the two families."

My uncle looked confused. "I thought we were meeting today to sign the contract previously discussed."

"I understand that, and I apologize for the misunderstanding. However, my father feels that... a more personal agreement is truly necessary in order to feel secure in the merge. The economy is tough, and he feels as though it is too easy to back out of this agreement without a solid... bond.." The man looked nervous. What was going on? "As you know, my father detests legal ambiguity. He simply will not sign without a personal agreement."

"But... what do you mean by _personal_?" my uncle asked. Everyone else looked confused too. I felt like I fit in better this way.

"Well..." He sighed. "Uh. My _father_," he emphasized, playing the blame-game like the sissy he was, "refuses to merge the companies without..." He cleared his throat. "Legal marriage."

My uncle's brow furrowed, and the conference room it up with conversation. I laughed. So Touya would marry their kid. Big deal. At least he'd finally get some.

"Well, that's absurd! Obviously we can merge companies without-"

"Please, sir, I understand your protest, but my father insisted on it. He refuses to go through the deal otherwise. He... feels certain that this way there will be no backing out and a serious, permanent merge will work." The poor guy looked absolutely desperate, like his life depended on this. Stupid business kids. They always think everything is the end of the universe. So what if the family company goes bankrupt? Haha whatev.

My uncle looked over at me and sighed. "Sakura, what do you think?"

I shrugged. "I don't care. Shouldn't you be asking Touya?"

Touya looked over at me from across the table. "Sakura, you are as dense as all get-out."

"Am _not._"

"Please, children, you're too old for this. Li, I assume that your father wishes for you to..." he took a deep breath. "Marry my niece?"

"Yes sir." The man kept his focus on my uncle.

My heart skipped a beat and I felt my face turn red. "...What?"

"My father believes that since I am to inherit the company, I should... be the one, in the-"

"I'll pass, thanks," I said defiantly, glaring at my uncle. "I don't want to inherit your company!" I shouted and slouched back in my chair. "Or marry anyone, either! Well, eventually, once I... not him."

My uncle sighed and rested his head in his hands. "This isn't happening to me."

"I'm terribly sorry for my father's sudden change in agreement," the _weird_ Li-kid apologized. Suck-up.

"No, no, no, no," my uncle whispered.

Touya sent me a venomous glare. "Sakura, you know if the companies don't merge we'll both lose our inheritance?"

I scoffed. "Nuh-uh. Why do we have to merge in the first place?"

"The economical disaster, maybe?" Touya looked down and shook his head. "Ugh I don't want to be homeless."

I looked down at my doodle again. My dragon was angry with me now. If I had drawn it with a pencil, I would erase it. Instead I drew a mustache to make him look less menacing. Of course he now looked Mexican, so I added a sombrero and maracas. I looked up to find the room staring (or glaring) at me.

"...What happens if I don't do it?" I asked quietly. My uncle looked up at me with a sliver of hope in that gray-haired head of his.

"The company will go bankrupt, and you'll lose your inheritance."

I gasped dramatically. Touya just buried his head in his hands mumbling "my life is over".

"...And what happens if I... _do_ do it?" I asked.

The Li-man answered me when my uncle just stared in astonishment of me even considering this. "The marriage would take place as soon as possible. The companies would merge and many jobs secured, at least more than without the merge. The-"

"No," I interrupted, looking at the table. "Would we like... _live together_?"

Touya scoffed, mumbling something like "idiot." Or maybe he was trying to say "My sister is really cool" and I heard him wrong.

"Well, for all practical purposes, the marriage would..." He laughed, half nervously and half out of amusement. He was _laughing_ at me. "If that made you uncomfortable, I'm sure it won't be an issue to live separately."

"Sakura," my uncle began. "We'll find some way to save the company. Maybe we can... oh, I'm going to die alone." He groaned and slumped onto the table.

"Well _give_ me a minute." I let out a slow breath. "Does this have to be a public thing?"

Syaoran shook his head. "It would probably be best to keep the marriage away from the press."

My eyebrows furrowed together, gazing at the Li with confusion. "And... will we have to like..."

A red-faced "no" was his reply.

Well, that was good news. I flipped a page over on my notepad and drew up a pro's and con's list.

"Sakura?" my uncle whispered. I ignored him and continued my list.

"Just say no so I can go commit suicide," Touya said scathingly. "Ten years I put into this company-"

"Shut up, Touya," I spat. I thought carefully; on one hand, I would be marrying a complete stranger. And a weird one at that. On the other hand, however, I would be saving the entire company from bankruptcy, and I would finally be of use to my uncle. It was basically either my happiness or everyone else's. Also, I added in small handwriting to my "pro" list, Li's kid was _fine as fudge_. Holllaaa.

I took the last breath of my freedom. "Fine."

The room gasped in unison. "Sakura!" my uncle yelled. "Sakura, really?"

"Don't make me change my mind."

I looked up at the Li man. His face was dark and abysmal, until he saw me looking at him. He immediately smiled. I narrowed my eyes.

"My father will be pleased," he said happily. "Is it possible to have another meeting tomorrow? He can easily cancel other plans for this."

My uncle stood up triumphantly. "Have as many meetings as you want! We're saved!" He and Touya danced a (very masculine) happy-dance.

I swallowed, feeling hollow.

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

At lunch I ran back home and got some shoes that belonged to me. Naoko gratefully took hers back.

"Sakura! How was your meeting?" Tomoyo asked from the kitchen. The best thing about her being a designer was that she made her own hours. I envied her ability to sleep in.

"I don't want to talk about it."

She nodded. "Is this about the merge with Li Corporation?"

"Oh, great, so everyone in the world knew about this except me." I wiggled my bare feet absentmindedly. "He... Li won't sign the merger unless I marry his son-"

Tomoyo gasped dramatically. "Oh _Sakura_!" she rejoiced. "Can I make your wedding dress!? I'd be lying if I said it wasn't my dream. Or that I hadn't already sketched up a few ideas already. Oh, Sakura, you're the luckiest girl in the entire world!"

"Okay, slow down. Don't you find this unfair in any way?"

She laughed. "No _way_. Li's son is so hot. I'd marry him in a heartbeat. I'm actually trying to hold my jealousy in." Tomoyo heaved a heavy sigh. "I'm alright. But seriously, would you rather go with a slender silhouette or-"

"I don't care."

She sauteed vegetables in the frying pan absently. "If I pick out the fabric today, I can start tomorrow. I think you'd look great in..." her mind wandered to Tomoyo-euphoria, her life's dream coming true. "Oh Sakura, I've always wanted to do a wedding dress. And doesn't he like you? You're so cute." She giggled. "Or maybe more of a ballgown. You'd look sooooo gorgeous."

I sighed again. "He's just... really businessy." My mind struggled for my first impressions of him, but none came to mind.

Tomoyo reluctantly fell from her wedding-cloud to console me. "Well, the first time you met him _was_ in a business meeting. Maybe he has some fun other life." She gasped. "Maybe he's a scuba-diver."

"You know what, you're right. We just need to spend some more time together." I slid off the counter quickly and slid my own heels on.

"Want some?" She offered me a bowl of vegetables which I gladly took. "Just get to know him better and I'm sure he'll come around."

"Thanks." I sighed, eating quickly so I wouldn't be late for work the second time in one day. Pfft like it even mattered.

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

I slept badly that night, but at least I woke up on time. Or rather, I stayed up and waited for my alarm to go off. I took a nice, hot shower that lasted too long. By the time I had gotten dressed and blow-dried my hair, I was fifteen minutes late. Tomoyo would have lectured me, but she was completely surrounded by white tulle and lace, too happy to care if I had died in my sleep as long as she could dress my corpse.

"Have fun at work!" she called from behind her white mountain as I ran past her. I decided to skip breakfast, seeing as I was already way later than I had been the day before. Plus, I knew from experience Tomoyo would be making the dress smaller than I was. How that motivated me to lose weight, I didn't know. I didn't want to wear the monstrosity she was coming up with anyway.

"Sakura!" Naoko shouted at me. "You are ridiculous."

"Hey, I wore shoes today. _And_ everything is inside-in. You should be proud of me." I felt proud of myself, at least, finally wearing one of the business suits Tomoyo insisted on making.

"Well, you have a meeting, _now_." She shooed me to the larger conference room where I found select executives of the Li Company and Kinomoto Industries. The conversation slowed when I walked in.

"Come in, Sakura," my uncle called. I walked in hesitantly, feeling scrutinized. At least I was put-together for once.

"Sakura, this is Mr. Li." I was introduced to a large, scary-looking man who shook hands with me aggressively.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sakura," he said dominantly. Everything about this guy screamed power and intimidation, right down to his gray business-hair. Syaoran stood behind him, not far from sulking.

"It's nice to meet you sir," I said back. Although it really wasn't. But whatever.

Since everyone had arrived, we took our seats. Li-son sat next to me with a hint of a smile.

My breath caught. He really _was_ cute.

The meeting was boring and consisted of business-talk that went way over my head. I just sat there and nodded at things when everyone else did. After the men talked about their net worth or whatever they like to talk about, Li brought up the whole marriage thing. Part of me hoped he might forget. I mean, he was at least fifty. Maybe he would die in a month and I wouldn't have to go through with this! Happiness ensued.

"Sakura?" My uncle called to me. "Do you agree?"

"Uh." I looked at Li-son, who seemed happy with whatever I was agreeing with. "Absolutely, sir."

"Excellent." Li set out a document with lots of silly business words on it in front of me and Syaoran. "Then are we ready to sign?"

"Hell yeah!" I grabbed the pen that Li-son was holding out.

My uncle grimaced, but nevertheless signed after me. He looked happy enough. Li-son and his dad signed it quickly with almost identical handwriting, all scrawly and unreadable like true businessmen. We all shook hands and looked happy. I still had no idea what we had just signed.

The executives exited the conference room quickly, and I didn't blame them. This was like, the most boring meeting ever. Old Li shook hands again and left the room in a rush, mentioning some other meeting. My uncle hugged me tightly, going on about how proud my parents would have been, and ran after someone talking about something important. Li-son and I were left alone.

"Hi," I said awkwardly.

He smiled, as if it were actually normal behavior to meet your fiancee like this. "Nice to meet, you, Ms. Kinomoto." He held out his hand, and I awkwardly shook it. I was just having an awkward day.

"Yeah."

"Do you want to go get lunch?" he offered, sitting on the table with perfect posture. I slouched beside him, ready to fall asleep then and there.

"Lunch?" I questioned. I guess the meeting went a lot later than I thought.

He smiled. "We should get to know each other."

"Really?" I couldn't help but smile back. "Sure." I was starting to like him. Maybe it was the smoldering eyes, or the fact he always looked like a model for business suits. Whatever it was, I didn't mind.

We walked out to his car, a nice, expensive-looking sports car. "Nice car."

He shrugged. "Technically it's my father's. And..." He scanned the door with his brows furrowed. "There's a nasty scratch here."

I coughed inconspicuously.

"So," he started across from me, putting the keys in the ignition and starting the car. "Tell me about yourself."

I thought for a moment. "I don't know. What do you want to know?"

"Where do you live?"

Only a question that a stalker would ask. "My best friend and I have an apartment together downtown. She's a designer. She begged me to let her make my wedding dress."

"That must be nice, living with your best friend." He was amiable enough, very well-mannered, very polished. I wondered if he was really like this all the time, or if he was just putting up a front.

Arriving at a fancy place that didn't impress me, we got a fancy table away from the big crowd. He ordered fancily, and I just muttered out the only thing that sounded remotely like food.

Li-son looked at me intently as the waiter scuttled away. "You're really okay with this?"

I shrugged. "I guess so. I mean, it's not like I have another option that doesn't involve homelessness."

He nodded, amused. "But you're so willing to throw away any chance of marriage in the future." His eyes darted down to his silverware warily. "I do feel bad about that. I'm sorry."

"What?" I laughed. "It's not like anyone's waiting to sweep me off my feet right now, and I doubt that'll come in the near future. And I kind of feel like I owe it to my uncle." I closed my mouth, surprised at how easily I confessed my feelings to him. I didn't normally walk around using people as my psychiatrist.

"How do you mean?" he pressed, obviously intrigued by my feelings. It was weird. But... no, it was weird.

I took a drink of water to stall for a couple seconds. "Well... obviously I have no interest in this company, and my uncle accepts me as baggage. Loving baggage. But I feel like this is finally my chance to help him with something."

He smiled and looked into my eyes. "Sakura, you are something else."

I frowned. "I assume you mean that as a compliment."

"Of course I meant it as a compliment."

I looked at his truthful, amber-ish eyes and my brow furrowed. He was not normal. Maybe he was mentally challenged. Suddenly I remembered something. "...What did that contract mean?"

Li sat quietly for a moment. Suddenly he began laughing. I tried not to smile, but when a guy like him starts laughing it's kind of hard not to. "Are you going to tell me?"

"Of course. I don't want to hide anything from you." He checked his watch quickly out of habit. "The contract we signed was basically an unromantic proposal. Nothing to worry about, I promise." He looked genuinely sincere. I was finding it hard to resent him.

"Okay, so do I get an engagement ring or anything?" I asked expectantly. "I mean, you said for all practical purposes this was a normal marriage."

"I have it with me." Sure enough, a small black box was hidden in his left pocket, taunting me. "Do you want it?" He began to hand it to me.

I stared at him with his hand elongated across the table in disbelief. I felt a completely irrational pang in my chest.

"...That's it?" I said in a small voice. _That's my proposal?_

His smile quickly faded into guilt. "Oh Sakura, I'm sorry. I was afraid you'd be dissuaded by something personal." His arm slithered back to his side.

I'd be _what?_ "No, it's fine. I'm being stupid."

Food arrived, we ate, and I went home.

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"Sakura?" Tomoyo called from outside my locked door. "The pizza is here. Do you want to come out or should I cut a hole in your door and shove it through?"

I rolled out of my bed and unlocked the door. "Will you bring me some?"

"Get your own." I heard her footsteps disappear down the stairs. Sighing, I rubbed my face quickly and followed her.

When I got to the end I screamed and ran into the kitchen. "Tomoyo!"

"Just talk to him, hun. He didn't do anything." She came into the kitchen and patted me slowly like I was a small child. "Technically he did bring pizza."

"I thought we made a pact about not letting men into the house without making sure nobody was in their _pajamas_."

"Yes, well, he's your fiancee. He doesn't count."

"_Of course he does!"_ I shouted. "...Do I look okay?"

"Sakura, you look adorable. Go talk to him."

With one last glare, I walked into the entryway to find Li standing with pizza.

"I hope you don't mind me not calling," he said apologetically. "Tomoyo said you were working."

I mentally cursed myself for slipping into my lazy sweatpants. They were never meant to be seen my male eyes. "Yeah. Hardcore business proposal about... business."

He smiled. "May I come in?"

I closed the door behind him and ushered him into the living room. "I'll be there in a second."

Tomoyo came up behind me and smiled. "I'll be in my room. You two have fun... talking." With a smirk, she disappeared. I sighed.

Li sat in my favorite chair. This much I could hate him for, at least. Funneling all my anger to him, I slumped into the horrible couch and let out a dramatic sigh.

Unfazed, Li opened the pizza. "My father would like to discuss some details with you, but because he scares most people, I offered to talk to you myself."

I frowned. It was _cheese_.

"I hope you don't mind cheese. Tomoyo informed me that she was a vegetarian, and I-"

"Ugh. It's fine." I hate him for being perfect. "What did your dad want to talk to me about?"

Li sighed. "First of all, my father is a businessman, and a man. So obviously, he doesn't get the emotional burden that's been put on you for doing this. He suggested a private ceremony on Friday, with the signing at the reception. But that's not happening."

I let out the breath I had been holding.

"Now, my mother isn't a businesswoman, and neither are my sisters. Arranged marriages are like satan to them. They would never let it happen to me, or more importantly, a woman."

My throat tightened. Where was he going with this?

He laughed. "It's horrible of me to ask this. But, my mother will never allow an arranged marriage, and even my father can't get in the way of her happiness. So in order for this entire thing to work out, we'd need to be in love. Which obviously isn't true."

I grinned. "So the deal's off?"

"Well, it may be, unless we're both really good actors." He smiled sheepishly. "The thing is... I feel terrible for what I'm asking you to do. And if you aren't up for it, which I imagine is true, no one will think less of you. I'm sure my father can be persuaded to sign without this deal." But despite his confident business talk, he looked less than certain his words were true.

I stopped him from continuing. We sat in silence for a moment; I took in the information, and he stared at me.

I sank back into the couch and stared at the untouched pizza. So not only did I have to marry this guy, I had to act like I was in love with him. Otherwise I was a sadist and everyone I loved lost their job.

Clearing my throat, I sat up in my seat. But after a quick breath, I sighed back into the couch with disbelief. "This isn't much of a choice, you know."

A hint of a smile played on his face. "Thank you for understanding." He shook my hand and stood up. "Have a nice night."

"Wait," I said quietly as he made for the door. He looked back around at me silently.

"What's your name?"

Li stared at me blankly, as if trying to figure out whether I was joking or not. Finally he smiled warmly, suddenly filling the room with happy fuzzy thoughts.

"Syaoran."

As I watched him walk out the door, I couldn't help but admire his business skills. Of course, at the same time blood rushed through my veins so loudly I was proud of myself for being able to hear my thoughts over it.

Then I devoured every inch of that stupid pizza.

**Xxxxxxxxxxxx**x

"Yes, darling, I'd _love_ some more water." I batted my eyelashes relentlessly.

Tomoyo scoffed. "What's the last romantic movie you watched, _Gone With the Wind_? No one bats their eyelashes anymore. It's all about your boobs."

"Yes, Syaoran's mom will _love_ that." I sighed and brushed out my hair with my fingers. "I need to act in love, not a hooker waiting to get picked up on the corner."

Tomoyo relaxed, staying calm. "When you're in love with someone, you act like a total ditz. You have that down already. _No_ eye-batting."

"Thank you, Tomoyo. I'm going to bed now."

All night I had strange dreams that weren't nightmares, just really unpleasant. Crazy women chasing me around with bouquets, Old Li carrying me around in a wedding dress... I was almost relieved when my alarm went off.

I made a end-of-the-year resolution to start dressing more appropriately. Since Tomoyo had made enough business-wear to clothe all of Mongolia, I felt badly for never wearing any of it. And I was surprisingly early for work after a breakfast consisting of Special K with skim milk and two cups of coffee.

"Have fun!" Tomoyo called from the living room.

I slid my car into the parking lot, and I couldn't help but notice Li's (father's) car parked at the entrance. I forced the angry thoughts into the dungeon of my mind and allowed the happy ones to scamper about freely.

When I got upstairs, Naoko was on the verge of tears. "Two days in a row you look presentable. I'm so proud," she cooed. I shot her a glare and leaned in closer.

"Where's Li and why is he here?"

She grimaced. "He's here with his mom, they want to have brunch."

"...But I'm so full from breakfast." Thankfully my stomach didn't growl cliché-ly. Nevertheless I was starving.

"Well, they're in your office waiting for you. Have fun," she said sympathetically.

I walked to my office with a smile. I was _not_ letting my brother down. I was going to slut it up. By the time I convinced myself to unbutton my shirt one more time, he was standing there in front of me.

"Hey, Syaoran!" I smiled when I saw him, hands still on my blouse. I quickly moved them. He smiled and stepped to the side. The name felt strange in my mouth, foreign and not to be spoken in such a familiar tone.

"Sakura, I'd like you to meet my mother, Yelan Li. Mother, this is my girlfriend, Sakura Kinomoto."

She smiled sincerely. "It's nice to meet you, Sakura. And Syaoran, why have I not met this beautiful girl before?"

He smiled. "This just felt like the right time."

I laughed and set my jacket and purse down. "So, is there any other reason you stopped by? Not that I don't appreciate the company. I'm just a little swamped."

When his mother admired the office, he shot me an apologetic look. "Well, I wanted my mother to get to know you a little better. I figure it's about time."

I smiled again. "Great. How about brunch?" Once again, my stomach failed to growl. It was an awesome stomach.

Yelan smiled at me. "Yes, that sounds fantastic. Is it just the three of us? Or would your mother care to join us?"

Syaoran coughed. I looked at the paperwork on my desk, shuffling it unnecessarily.

After a quick, awkward apology, we headed out to brunch at another fancy restaurant. I couldn't help but notice the few cameras outside. Syaoran looked innocent, but he lied like a... a liar.

"So, how long have you two been going out?" Yelan asked over the appetizer. I looked to Syaoran helplessly.

"About eight months. Is that right?" he asked. I smiled and nodded.

"That's a long time," she complemented. "And I have to ask, Sakura, how did you two meet?"

I stared into her eyes so long I felt like we were about to have a romantic connection. "Well."

Syaoran stepped in, but his mother quickly shut him up. "I want to hear this from the woman's perspective."

"Um."

"Mother, I really love telling this story, please," Syaoran asked pleasantly, but firmly. His mother sighed and agreed.

Then he just pulled out this bullcrap story out of nowhere about how we met in the middle of the park one day and looked into each other's eyes and something stupid.

"How romantic."

"Yep, he's something else." I helped myself to brunch, not caring about the caloric intake.

Syaoran's phone went off loudly, and he excused himself to go talk business-things. I was left alone with his adorable mother. If all in-laws were like her, the world would be a happy place.

"So, Sakura, I haven't known you for long, but you make my son very happy. Therefore you must be a special girl. He's never really been one for dating." She took a drink slowly. "How... intimate have you been?"

Gladly I wasn't drinking when she asked me this, so I didn't spit it out all over her. I did, however, stare at her with a horrified expression for the few seconds it took for Syaoran to get back.

"Sorry, it's dad. Some... _business_ stuff." He sent a meaningful glance toward me. It could only mean one thing: the company had burned down in a tragic fire and we wouldn't have to go through this anymore.

"Well, if he calls again let me handle it. The man is whipped."

Syaoran buried his head in his hands, muttering words meant for adult ears only. "Mother, I've asked you a million times not to discuss your romantic life with dad."

"Oh, you'll do the same thing someday." She motioned for the bill effortlessly, like she was used to eating at fancy places or something. Show-off.

"Is it okay if I spend some time with Sakura for a bit? You can take my car." Syaoran handed her the keys.

"Of course. It was wonderful meeting you, dear." Yelan and I shook hands quickly, and then we were gone.

"Why didn't you tell me I was meeting you mother today?" I asked angrily.

"Why don't you slow down first! You're going to kill me."

"It's not such a bad idea right now, actually." I turned a corner too fast, causing him to slam violently into the window. It took a great deal of effort to keep from smiling.

He sighed angrily. "Look, I just don't see why you're so upset about this. I would have called you last night, but I didn't want to disturb you."

"Well, you should call me about stuff like this."

"Why are you so upset?" he asked, gripping the seat belt with a death hold.

I sped into the parking lot and jolted into a space. "Because I feel like I've spent more time with your mother than I have with you." I took a deep breath, staring straight in front of me. "I may not like this arrangement, but I don't want to marry a _complete_ stranger." My voice faltered.

Syaoran moved to put a hand on my shoulder, but seemed to think better of it and let it fall to his lap. "Let's do something tonight, then."

I nodded silently and watched him get out of my car, still completely oblivious that he didn't have a way to get back to his office. Instead of following him inside, I stayed in my car and took a short break that definitely didn't involve a nap.

**Xxxxxxxxxxxx**

After my "meditation time" in the car, I walked up to the office refreshed and rejuvenated.

"Good afternoon, Naoko," I said in a chipper tone. She gave me a wary look.

"What?" I asked. "I had some things to do."

She sighed and handed me a sheet of paper. "This is the outline of meetings from now until who-knows-when. All of them are exclusively you, Touya, your uncle, and the Li men."

I read the sheet quickly, mentally cursing every single date. "But what are all of these for?"

"Sakura, don't you get it? The Lis are like, the most famous and rich family on this side of the planet. All of a sudden Syaoran's dating you, someone almost as close in fame and fortune."

I stared at her blankly.

"Sakura, these meetings are to plan your wedding."

I re-cursed every meeting. "I thought we could have a nice underground wedding."

"The first one is in a week. I'd start getting to work early, actually. The publicity on this is going to skyrocket."

I frowned. "But I don't like to wake up early." The Lis were ruining my life more and more every day.

"Then have fun being tackled by stalkers on a daily basis. Here's your coffee." As she handed me the cup of delicious caffeine, I couldn't help but feel sorry for myself. After all, I threw the best pity-parties in town.

"Sakura, can I talk to you for a minute?" Touya called from his office adjacent to mine. I wandered in mindlessly, absorbed in my head.

"What's up?" I asked, sitting down in the chair across from him, his overly-cluttered desk between us.

He laughed. "You, Sakura. I can't believe everything that's happening around here." Touya sighed and looked at me closely. "Why are you _doing_ all of this?"

I shrugged. "I don't want to die in a gutter."

He gave me a quick glare before absentmindedly signing papers. "Darling, you can get a job. I know you're not doing it for the money. I just want to know why you're sacrificing for something you don't even care about it."

"But you and uncle care about it, Touya," I retorted. "Look... I know I've never been anything but a burden for the two of you. Anything I was asked to do, you took care of it." He shot me a smile. "But this is something that you can't do for me. And it's my only chance to really pay you guys back for everything you've done." I sighed. "And the money."

Touya sorted papers on his desk quickly, but took a few minutes to reply. "I never knew you felt that way." His work kept him busy for a few more minutes. "Syaoran is actually a really nice guy. We've gotten along pretty well since we started working together a few years ago."

I smiled. At least my brother approved.

"But I swear, if I ever see him touch you I'll break his hand in a second."

Ah, there it was.

He sighed heavily. "Well, as you can see I have a lot of things to do. You can help if you want, but I really work better alone."

"Do you want a family?" I blurted.

He looked up incredulously. "What?"

"Come on, you're already thirty and you've never had a serious girlfriend or anything. Don't you ever want to settle down and start a life instead of a company?" I regretted the words incessantly pouring out of my mouth, but I had always wondered why he never had any romantic interests. Ever. I mean, he's not _that _ugly.

Touya ground his teeth and returned to his work. "Please let me get some work done."

Glaring at him (though this loses effectiveness when the glaree refuses to look at you), I stormed out of the office. For the record, it was _his_ fault the brother-sister-bonding-moment was lost, not mine.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

My office was pretty much blank, seeing as before the Li Company took a personal interest in ruining my life, I spent little to no time actually at work. I had a level 80 farm, and all my friends on Call of Duty were extremely supportive. As I sat down and wondered why they built me an office in the first place, my phone went off loudly.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Oh good, I thought you weren't going to answer," Tomoyo puffed. "Listen, you never gave me a straight answer on lace. Now I know it's a little 80's, but-"

"Tomoyo, we both know I don't care. Is there an actual reason you're calling me, or do you just like getting hung up on?"

There was a huff of exasperation on the other end of the line. "You'd better be nicer to me."

"I'm not in the mood." I turned on my computer, the only thing I had ever used in the office. "Seriously, why did you call me?"

She giggled. "You know Yamazaki from grade school?"

I frowned. "The weird guy? What about him?"

"Well, apparently he heard about your _relationship_with Syaoran. He's a reporter for People, so I told him you'd do an interview tonight."

It took me a moment to repress all of the angry words I felt. "I don't understand why any of this is exciting news."

"Oh, you'll be happy to see him. Trust me." She laughed once more before hanging up. I wrote this off as a normal amount of crazy for her and put my phone away without a second thought.

While checking my email, I couldn't help but dread the next few weeks. Not only would I have to get up early, but I would be forced to spend time with Syaoran's father, the creepiest man alive.

The rest of the day was a boring montage of phone calls and interruptions from my level 76 warlock's raid. By the time I got home, I had completely forgotten about Tomoyo and her ridiculous interview.

"Tomoyo, I'm home!" I called from the front door.

She bustled toward me wearing a purple apron and her hair up in a loose ponytail. "_Sakura!_ He's waiting for you in the living room. Dinner will be ready in like, ten minutes." She quickly shooed me out of the kitchen to meet Yamazaki.

She was definitely right. I was _very_ glad to see him.

As he stood up, I admired his chiseled figure with a sigh. His slightly pudgy face from ten years ago had been replaced with a toned, muscular dream. It took a lot of effort not to swoon then and there.

"Hi, Sakura!" he said with excitement. I eagerly shot my hand out, willing for any contact with him.

"Nice to see you, Takashi!" I giggled. Ugh. Flirtatious Sakura was just an awkward mess.

We sat down on the couch next to each other, making small talk about families and other people in our class. To be completely honest I just liked the silky velvet that was his voice.

"So, you're a reporter! That's... fun." I stopped my arm mid-hair twirl.

He laughed. "Yeah, I've been pretty busy lately. But I really wanted to take your story."

Oh yes. Yes you did.

"That's cool. Ask me anything."

Yamazaki cleared his throat. "Of course. You were spotted having a casual dinner with Syaoran and Yelan Li yesterday. What's the story behind that?"

No, no, _no._ "Uh, yeah. Well, I was meeting Syaoran's mom."

"Obviou- Okay. And... why?"

I stared at him for a moment, partly because I didn't know how to answer the question. But mostly just to stare at him.

"Syaoran and I have been... seeing each other."

Yamazaki smiled triumphantly, his recording device picking up every trace of my awkward voice. "I see. How long has this been going on? The two most beautiful and wealthy young people in Japan secretly dating?"

"You think I'm beautiful?" I muttered.

"Dinner's ready!" Tomoyo shouted, appearing from the kitchen with a dish of lasagna. "It needs to cool off though. I'll just be in the kitchen." Just as quickly, she disappeared with the food. "Continue!"

Yamazaki shifted. "So, how long have you and Li been seeing each other?"

"Uh?" I looked in the kitchen to see Tomoyo on the phone with who I assumed to be Syaoran. Suddenly she held up eight fingers. "Eight days."

He frowned. "Really?"

"Oh. _oh._ Just kidding. I meant eight... months? Yeah. Eight months. Steady." I made a rolling motion with my left hand, just like what the awkward train looks like leaving the station.

"I see. And why did you two decide to keep the relationship a secret until today?"

I sighed. "Uh. Well. That's..." Tomoyo mouthed something quickly, but we both knew I couldn't read lips. I was completely alone. "We... well, you know our companies are merging at the moment. And we both felt that if the relationship didn't work, it could jeopardize everything. But we've come to a point where things are working, and we're just tired of sneaking around." I smiled. Hours of watching Oprah had finally paid off.

Tomoyo gave me a thumbs-up and recited my excellent response to Syaoran. Yamazaki nodded and wrote it down. "I see. Very smart of the two of you. So... is there marriage in the future?"

I laughed. "We haven't talked about it. But just between the two of us, I wouldn't be upset if he asked me." I ended the trail of lies with a smile.

Takashi smiled. "I see. Anything else you'd like to add?"

"I could talk all night. What do you want to ask?" Just as I was ready to take off the flirting training wheels, the doorbell rang. Cursing the person behind it, I jumped up and ran to answer it.

"Syaoran?"

He smiled, holding flowers. "Are you ready?"

"Does it look like I'm ready?" I shot back, referencing to my shoeless feet and rumpled hair. "I'm sorry. I totally forgot about tonight. Tomoyo invited over a reporter, and there's lasagna..." Leaning against the door, I gave him a weary look. "Can you just wait like, ten minutes?"

He looked amused. "Are you in the middle of an interview? With whom?"

"The hottest-" I stopped. "Magazine."

He shook his head and came in, setting the flowers on the kitchen table. "Where is he?"

"Just through there. Tomoyo? I'm going to change, but I'll be right back." I turned to find Tomoyo fawning over Syaoran.

"It's so nice to meet you, how would you like to see some design concepts for the wedding dress?"

Happy to know my best friend was in no place to pick out an outfit for me, I was _almost_ surprised when I saw the ensemble laid out on my bed. The note on top said it would look best if I curled my hair.

Almost surprised.

Changing into the midnight blue cocktail dress with black flats (thanking her for at least this comfort), I didn't want to know what was happening downstairs. My best friend, fiancee, and sexy reporter all in the same room was bound for either disaster or my embarrassment.

At her demand, I quickly curled my hair. Though I wouldn't admit this, it really did look better. After doing a quick once-over in the mirror, I headed downstairs.

"-and she's not wearing pants! Thankfully the neighbors didn't press charges," Tomoyo laughed.

I locked eyes with her immediately, and her grin faltered. "I thought we agreed to never speak about that night again, Tomoyo."

She coughed. I couldn't help but notice Yamazaki still had his recorder out.

"You look beautiful," Syaoran noted, kissing me on the forehead. My body erupted in goosebumps and warm fuzzies as I stood in shock for a moment, completely unused to the informality between us. "See you later, Takashi."

The reporter waved informally to Syaoran, then turned his attention back to Tomoyo. It seemed like she was recounting every detail of my life to him.

"Bye," I stammered, tripping over my foot on the way to the door.

I slid into his car slowly. The inside smelled like happy rays of leather sunshine.

"Your car smells good," I blurted out. Great conversation there.

"Thank you," he replied absently. "Have you eaten?"

"Yes," I said without thinking. I couldn't stand another fancy restaurant. "Where are we going?"

He pulled out into the street smoothly. "Somewhere private enough to talk."

I kept my eyes focused on the road. There was always something really sexy about a man driving a car to me. "Yay."

"You really do look nice." he paused. "Wait, was that your stomach?"

I glared at my stomach for giving me away, but also appreciated the timing to not be a cliché. "No."

"Then what was it?"

"Maybe there's something wrong with your car." I hit my stomach a couple of times, as if to stop the growling. He shot me a quick look of exasperation before turning into the McDonald's drive-thru. I tried not to shriek with happiness.

"What do you want?" he asked, rolling the window down.

"A number six with a small Sprite," I recited. I was a creature of habit when it came to fast food.

I fiddled with the radio while Syaoran bought my dinner. The fact he even knew what McDonald's was made me slightly more comfortable. At least he wasn't some freak that wouldn't eat anything under $30.

"Aren't you going to get anything?" I asked when he handed me my food.

Syaoran smiled slightly. "I did."

As I devoured my sandwich and he stole my fries, I felt kind of bad for hating him so much. He wasn't really a bad person. I just hated him.

**Xxxxxxxxxxxx**

We arrived in the park just as the sky turned a burnt orange color. After a quick look around I spotted a few guys in the bushes with cameras and figured they weren't taking pictures of their family.

"Don't mind those guys," Syaoran said. "Just pretend they're not there."

"But they _are _there," I protested. "Is this my life from now on?"

Syaoran let a laugh out. "Pretty much."

He led me to a small gazebo in the middle of the park, decorated with lights that hadn't turned on yet. "Is this okay?"

I nodded. He really _had_ planned on talking, not just taking me to the movies to appease me.

"So," he grunted, lowering to the ground. "How are you?"

I tried not to laugh as I joined him. "Overwhelmed."

"That's understandable." He looked like an actual person, with tired eyes and a tired sigh.

"I thought you were all gung-ho about this stuff," I said bemusedly.

He didn't answer immediately. "...It's not you. This entire thing came at a horrible time for me. Well, I guess there's not a _good_ time, but there's a less-bad time." His eyes remained on the ground.

"What do you mean?"

Syaoran looked reluctant to tell me. "Well, I've been seeing someone."

I sat silently, somehow baffled that he had a life outside of business. And for some irrational reason, I was hurt.

"Her name is Hannah. I met her last year, and we've been seeing each other ever since then... I guess I'm just glad we decided to keep it a secret. Otherwise I would've messed everything up." His finger traced patterns into the concrete with deep concentration. "But now I feel obligated to end it. I mean, if anyone found out it would be... I'm sorry. I just thought you should know."

"No, you have nothing to apologize for," I said. The dull pang in my chest was still there, groundless as ever. I forced myself to think about it from his perspective, not mine: meeting the guy of your dreams, and a year later being dragged into an arranged marriage and forced to let him go, all because my uncle told me to. It was upsetting. "Have you told her in person?"

He shook his head. "I just don't think I can see her. I can't imagine what she thinks of me."

"She's going to think you've been cheating on her for eight months unless you tell her yourself," I chastised. "You haven't thought this through at all."

He sighed deeply. "Listen, this is _not_ what I had planned for tonight. I wanted us to get to know each other, not talk about my relationship." He popped his knuckles absently. "I'm horrible at planning dates."

I smiled. "No, it's nice." I repositioned myself on the uncomfortable concrete floor, wondering _why_ I didn't just wear shorts. Skirts and comfort never go together except in fairy tales. "You know, I was totally wrong about you. I thought you were some lame business person willing to do anything for more power. But you're not." Taking into account that I rarely formed a sentence well, I thought my pep-talk was above par.

"Yeah, I'm just an egotistical idiot willing to do anything to win my father's affection." He sighed. "I'm sorry. That was unnecessary."

I shrugged. "It's fine."

Suddenly the lights in the gazebo flickered on, just as the sky took on a dark purple shade. Syaoran smiled at me, the soft glow serving him well. "Look."

I stood up to take in the lights slowly surrounding us. The entire park was now coated in a soft yellow glow, making me feel like I was in the middle of some extremely romantic movie. Syaoran was now beside me grinning. "Isn't this amazing?"

I nodded, perplexed. For a second, I let my mind wander. Imagining that Syaoran and I were actually in love, not being forced to spend time together. This would be the perfect time for him to bend down on one knee and call me "the love of my life, and I can't spend another day without you."

I didn't realize I was leaning against him until his arm wrapped around my side. I blamed my staying there on the cameras.

"I hope you don't mind this," he apologized into my ear. His soft breath nearly sent me to the ground, my knees buckling like the bones had just been removed. I felt him take a deep breath. "You smell nice. Is that weird of me to say?" He took another breath.

I silently awarded myself for splashing on perfume before I left. I would have thanked him if my voice were working.

It had been a long time since I had been this close to a man this attractive. Realizing just exactly how close we were, I looked up from the ground and realized that he was staring straight at me. Our faces just inches away, his so manly and sensitive.

The unmistakable crack of lightning jolted me out of my beautiful moment. I cursed nature and pulled away from Syaoran.

"Let's get out of here before we get drenched." As he spoke, rain began to pour down all around his. He slid off his jacket and handed it to me.

I gratefully took the coat and slipped into it silently. It was warm and toasty.

"Oh no," I groaned as we walked up to his expensive-looking car. "I'm going to ruin your dad's car."

He hopped in without a second thought. "Don't worry about it."

I sat precariously on the seat as he drove me home. It was only about twenty minutes, and the majority was spent in a comfortable silence. Even if I didn't love him, I got the feeling that we could still be good friends.

"Here we are," he mused out loud. "Do you want me to walk you in?"

"Oh, no," I laughed. "Tomoyo's going to ask me enough questions already, and if you come up you won't escape."

He smiled. "Then I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye," I said, closing the door softly. The air was cold, so I ran up to my apartment door as quickly as I could. Before I could fumble around for my keys in my purse, Tomoyo opened the door with a sly grin.

"Good morning," she said chipperly.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, throwing my keys on the table. Looking at the clock, I sighed. The bright yellow numbers flashed 12:18 over and over again, as if to rub it in my face.

"So we stayed out a little later than intended. Big deal." I slid off my coat- Syaoran's coat- and threw it carelessly on the table. "Listen, you have to wake me up early tomorrow. I need to be at work on time."

"Why?" she grinned deviously. "Is someone waiting for you?"

I glared at her. "I'm going to bed."

"Why are you soaking wet?" she asked quickly. "Why do you have Li's coat? You were smiling when you came in. Where did you go? _Please tell me_," she begged.

"I'll tell you tomorrow at lunch," I mumbled, wishing we installed an escalator instead of stairs. "Good night."

After a quick, hot shower, I slid into bed and immediately fell asleep. Only minutes later Tomoyo was jostling me awake, banging a spoon against a pan.

"Come on, Sakura!" she shouted. "Get up!"

I slunk out of bed and mindlessly threw on whatever outfit she wanted me to. Letting her do my hair and makeup was something I rarely let happen, but I was extremely desperate.

"I'm driving you in today, you can eat in the car." I moaned as she dragged me down the stairs and handed me a bagel. "If you don't hurry up, I'll make you try on dresses until you collapse."

This at least got me into the car. As I forced the bagel down, Tomoyo sped through traffic silently. We pulled into the parking lot faster than I thought possible.

"There. Go," she instructed. "I'm picking you up at twelve for lunch." With a dazzling smile, she pushed me out of the car and drove away.

I sighed and trudged up the steps. At least there was an elevator here.

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**AHHH**


	2. Chapter 2

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"Well, I was going to invite him anyway," Tomoyo shrugged as I slid into the front seat.

I honestly wasn't expecting her to invite him to our supposed girl-time. A sacred community where I could talk about not shaving, or being bloated, or having to wear pants, was being shattered by stupid Syaoran.

We met him at a small cafe near downtown, which Tomoyo and I frequented. Syaoran had probably never seen the place through his tinted-window limousine or piles of money blocking his view.

I was scanning the streets in anticipation of my man, seeing as he was probably going to drive his fancy car over. I nearly jumped when he appeared beside me looking _like a commoner. _No suit or anything, just like... normal person clothes. (Fancy normal person clothes, but it was a step forward.)

"Good morning, ladies." He opened the door for us and we gratefully walked into the warm building.

"So, Syaoran, how's business?" Tomoyo asked chipperly.

He hesitated, but smiled politely. "It's very well, thank you."

"Good. So about Sakura's dress, I have this idea-"

"Tomoyo, no offense, but can we _not_ talk about this for one hour?" I snapped. Tomoyo raised her hands innocently, retreating from the subject. I tried to ignore the numerous cameras outside and how much Tomoyo was enjoying the attention.

Unwillingly sitting down next to Syaoran, I tried not to think about how mindless my life would be after getting married. Doing this kind of thing every day. Looking nice, wearing makeup, touching Syaoran.

"Welcome back, Miss Sakura, Miss Tomoyo. And your handsome guest!" our waiter cooed, motioning to Syaoran with a grin. "What can I get you?"

As I devoured my heavenly meal, Tomoyo interrogated Syaoran. She delicately avoided certain subjects, which I was more than grateful for. By the time lunch was over she knew every detail worth knowing about him, as I did too. His favorite color was green. He liked kittens (which I was getting as a congratulations-for-going-through-with-it present when I moved in). His favorite genre of music was jazz. Which was really unfortunate, because jazz made me want to rip my ears out. Nevertheless, Tomoyo coaxed more information out of him in an hour than I got out of our entire relationship.

"It was nice meeting you," Syaoran said to Tomoyo genuinely.

Tomoyo smiled and drove away over the speed limit and nearly took out a mail carrier on her way back to the apartment.

I looked over at Syaoran, who was texting relentlessly. Probably business. "Do you really like her?"

"Well, besides the interrogation she seemed nice," he sighed, letting out a giant yawn.

I frowned. "Are you all right?"

"Oh, it's fine. I just haven't been sleeping well." He rubbed a hand through his hair unconsciously. We walked back up to my office without hurrying; I wasn't in the mood to rush.

"Why not? Do you live near any serial killers?" My attempt at humor didn't seem to faze him.

"No, my roommate just moved out. I don't know, it just feels way too... lonely."

Taking the stairs 13 floors up is never a good idea, unless you're an idiot or extremely fit. We had one of each.

"Why... did... he... move out?" I huffed.

He made a face. "...Well, she's..." He took a minute to finish. "She's not happy with me."

Obviously he was talking about his girlfriend.

"Oh." I felt awkward and somehow responsible. "I'm sorry."

"It's not you," he reassured. "Well, it is, but..."

He was a true smooth-talker. "Why don't... you get... another... roommate?" I asked.

"Well, I don't know of anyone personally, and to be honest, they wouldn't be staying for very long anyways." His eyes remained glued to the steps. Only level 7? That had to be wrong.

"Right." I collapsed on the gap between staircases. "Why?"

He looked at me curiously. "Why do you think?"

My face fell from "despairing" to "sheer apocalypse doom." The combination of both physical exertion and emotional turmoil sent me to the ground. I caught my fall with my face.

Syaoran looked down at me with amusement. "Are you all right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I'm just letting you take a break because you looked tired."

"How considerate." He sat down next to me silently.

"So," I began, "How long until we're supposed to move in together?"

He seemed pretty taken aback by my question, and it took him a couple minutes to answer. "Well, whenever you feel... comfortable?"

I sighed. "Not to be rude, but I don't think I'll ever be comfortable with that. I mean, when does your father want the wedding?"

"Tonight, if we could fit it in," he said with a wry smile. "But realistically, we've probably got at least two months. Or more," he added when he saw my expression. "There's no rush for you, Sakura. We may be forced into this, but we still have a say in things."

The obvious contempt for his father's demands made me smile. "Can we please take the elevator the rest of the way?" I asked.

"Of course." He helped me up quickly.

Our office was old, and the elevators were older. It took at least ten seconds between floors, giving us plenty of time to bond as a couple.

"Do you take this every day?" he asked, baffled. "This is horrible."

"Okay, Mr. Fancy Office, don't judge our perfectly functional technology. You're just impatient."

He shot a look at me. "I'm just concerned for my life."

"You're overreacting. They're fine. See?" I jumped a few times, causing the elevator to shake. There was an ominous creaking/screeching sound above us, but I ignored it. I was proving a point. "Perfect."

"And you're telling me it takes you this long to get to your floor every day?" he demanded.

I glared at him. "It gives me time to do my makeup."

He laughed sardonically. "This is crazy."

"You're crazy," I muttered while examining my nails discreetly.

Finally, the doors opened. Syaoran followed me, obviously in a mood. My office door closed with a loud thud.

"Could you not take out your anger on my door?" I said with exasperation.

"I'm sorry. I'm just tired." He examined the office quickly, as if gathering his thoughts. "I'm going to go home. Thank you for lunch."

"You know we have a meeting in like, two hours, right?"

Syaoran looked at me calmly, yet with fire burning behind his eyes. "Excuse me?"

"Yeah, your dad's coming over and we're taking care of some details."

He looked down at his shoes slowly. "Yaaaaay," I heard him mutter to his toes.

"Excuse me? Are you being _unprofessional_ right now?" After I picked by jaw up off the floor, I turned my eyes to him with a judgment glare.

He examined me quietly, as if to figure out if I was being serious or not. "Just tired," was his restrained response.

"Well, take a nap. I won't mind." I motioned to the plush couch across from my desk, already outfitted with a squishy pillow and blankie (and a hidden stuffed bear behind the filing cabinet).

He laughed. "Oh, I don't nap."

"Why the hell not," I questioned blankly.

A sliver of fear peeked through behind his professional eyes, but he said nothing.

"Look, just sit down please. You're making me uncomfortable just standing there in the doorway."

He sighed and made his way over to the couch. Ignoring him, I picked up the phone and began returning calls from the morning. The next time I looked over at him, he was face-down on the couch with a blanket draped over half his body, sleeves rolled up to his elbows and fancy jacket on the chair next to him. I smiled.

I would have been an idiot not to observe him in his sleep. I was glad to know that he didn't snore. He was a heavy sleeper, which I found out by throwing things at him. He did move a lot, which was how he ended up on the floor instead of the sofa like he was supposed to be.

Five minutes before our meeting, I walked over to go wake him up (loud noises also failed to stir him). I tried shaking his arm. And his leg. And his face. Light face-slapping seemed to be pointless... At this point I was worried that he might sleep straight through the meeting.

"Syaoran," I half-shouted into his face while slapping it. "_Syaoran_."

Suddenly his eyes shot open and he tried to back away form me. Of course he was right next to a couch... so he just ran into it. "Wha-what."

"How do you wake yourself up in the morning?" I asked.

"There are ways," he said groggily and elusively, slowly making his way back to consciousness. He stood up and almost fell over on me.

"Were you napping or drinking? Syaoran," I steadied him on his feet and let go before he could fall on me again.

"I... take a minute to wake up..."

"Well you literally have one minute. Pull yourself together."

"Wha-_ meeting_," he seethed while blindly searching the air for his jacket. I threw it at him and watched him struggle to make sense of it. It was like watching a drunk child.

"Here," I finally sighed, taking the jacket and standing him up. After getting all his clothes back on, I looked him straight in the face and slapped him as hard as I could. "WAKE UP."

"XIAO STOP- ahh. Sorry." He finally managed to open his eyes. "I thought you were my sister for a second." He almost reached for his jacket, but apparently decided against it. "This might be a while, huh?"

"It's only the wedding of the century," I moaned. "Come on."

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Thankfully it was easy to sneak out of the office, with the giant mob and all. After Tomoyo started the car, I expected to get bombarded with questions. Instead, the ride home was silent, and when we got home, she led me upstairs to my bathroom. The entire room was illuminated by cookie-scented candles, and a perfect bubble bath was waiting for me. "Once you're done, I'll make you dinner. Then I expect you to tell me _every single detail._" With a smug grin, she left me to enjoy my bath in peace.

After a long, relaxing bath, I changed into lazy sweatpants and one of Touya's old shirts. Tomoyo was sitting on the couch, holding out a bowl of chicken fried rice. "Hungry?"

I grabbed the bowl gratefully and ate half of it before I finally set it down.

Tomoyo listened intently, of course, to every single detail of the meeting, squealing at squeal-worthy moments and being the perfect audience. When I was finally done she sighed happily. "Oh Sakura, you're going to make the perfect wife."

I choked on my dinner. "Don't call me that."

"Should I just refer to you as in-denial?." She took another bite with a judgmental look on her face.

I took the bowl into the kitchen to wash it, looking for something to do with my hands. The less I did, the more I thought. And Syaoran was all I could think about anymore. It terrified me.

"Sakura! You're on TV!" Tomoyo screamed. I groaned, set the bowl in the sink, and walked warily into the living room.

"-seen out late with his not-so-secret girlfriend, Kinomoto Sakura." The show cut to pictures of me and Syaoran wrapped up together in the gazebo. I hadn't realized how physical we had been until I saw the pictures from the past few days, which was extremely _creepy_. The woman kept talking as the pictures rolled. "According to Ms. Kinomoto, their relationship has been going on for eight months in secret! Well, for being together so long, the two seem to be taking it reeeeaal slow. The most they've been spied doing in public is holding hands! Takashi, care to elaborate?"

Tomoyo and I let out a gasp in unison. "YES LORD!" She cried as her face became glued to the tv screen.

"Thanks, Pei," he said with a dreamy smile. "I actually landed an exclusive interview with Ms. Kinomoto earlier this week, but she didn't elaborate on the intimacy. She did, however, hint that a _proposal_ was in the future. Maybe they're just a little old-fashioned. Back to you, Pei." He ended with a smile and wink, sending Tomoyo on the floor in a fit.

"Well, whatever the backstory, Li and Kinomoto's surprising relationship seems to be going just fine." They ended with a shot of us in the gazebo, where we looked a lot happier than we were. Tomoyo screamed and started calling her friends, reliving every sentence. I sighed.

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxx**

The next day was Friday, and Tomoyo nearly had to threaten me with a knife before I got out of bed. She seemed to take extra care of my hair and makeup, and dressed me in a classic Michelle Obama pink dress.

"Tomoyo, I'm going to work at a corporate office."

She ignored me and kept working, sighing every now and then. "I'm using waterproof mascara, but you probably won't need it. Just in case," she muttered, slipping into her head.

I just drank my coffee and kept quiet. That was the deal.

"Oh, you look so adorable," she sighed. "Okay, come on."

Tomoyo drove me to work while I dozed in the passenger seat, still completely unaware of the evil that would befall me later that day. I took the ridiculously long elevator ride up to the office in a zombie-like fashion. My office was for once empty, and I checked my email quickly before trying to get some actual work done.

A few hours later, Naoko sprung into my office, shouting and pushing me. "Sakura! Syaoran's taking you out to lunch!"

She led me into the lobby where Syaoran met me with a smile. My lazy eyelids opened immediately as he greeted me with a light kiss. An ominous "awww" broke me from my daydreaming state; pulling away, I found the whole office watching us. After shooting all of them a nasty look, I walked into the elevator with Syaoran.

"Okay, you're not supposed to know, but I think you have the right," he said quickly once the doors closed. "After lunch I'm going to propose to you in a big public display. It's going to be huge and romantic and you're going to love it." He stopped and looked at me. "It wasn't my idea to keep this from you, and honestly, it's not a very good idea to catch you by surprise."

I blinked. "Why not?"

"Because you might freak out."

I sighed and nodded, sliding to the floor. Suddenly it felt like someone was sitting on my chest. "So it'll be all publicized and everything?"

Syaoran sat beside me. "This isn't what I asked you to do, and I feel terrible about it. It's just become so popular with the media, and now my father's pushing it because it's such good press for the company..." He sighed heavily, and once again I remembered that I wasn't the only one being forced into marriage. "I don't even know if it's worth it, but we're too far in now."

I didn't know what to say that would help, so I sat silently beside him.

"Well, are you ready?" he asked when we reached the first floor. With his help I stood up, and we got into his nice, cleaned car.

"...Soooo..."

Syaoran looked at me. "What?"

"Can I see the ring?" I asked despite myself, nearly jumping out of my seat.

He rolled his eyes and dug it out of his pocket. "Here. My sisters picked it out." I took it delicately into my hands. "I actually haven't seen it yet."

I opened the black velvet box slowly, expecting to find a beautiful ring. However, the most gaudy, audacious ring that had ever existed greeted me with blinding radiance.

"Oh."

Syaoran peeked at it and laughed. "That's hideous."

I slid it onto my finger in disappointment, examining it closely. "No."

"What?"

"No." I took it off and put it back in the package, handing it back to him.

He took it back in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

"I can't justify owning this, Syaoran. It's way too expensive_. _And a waste of diamonds. And I have an entire board of wedding rings on Pinterest, none of them look _anything_ like this." I closed the box and handed it back to him. "This is a travesty."

Syaoran stared at me for a moment, then laughed. "Okay. Then we'll have to stop by the jewelers."

I looked over at him, expecting him to be kidding. He just smiled.

He drove through downtown until we pulled up in front of a jeweler's store. It looked extremely legit and expensive (the kind of place in a previous life that I wouldn't even be allowed inside without them checking my credit score first). Syaoran and I were now greeted at the door with a warm smile.

When we walked in, a man in his early thirties greeted us exuberantly. "Good morning, Mr. Li! How may I help you?"

"We need a ring. And quickly, please." Syaoran grabbed my hand and showed it to the guy. "That size."

The man grinned excitedly and showed us to the back of the room, where a heavily-guarded case held a dozen _extremely_ expensive-looking rings. My jaw dropped.

"Any of these you want to try on, sweetheart?" The man unlocked the case and pulled out the top shelf, which held the most delicate rings I had ever seen in my life. I admired them silently. They were all so _pretty._

"How about that one?" Syaoran pointed to the one I was gawking at the most, a single (huge) diamond held by two bands of platinum. The different bands were twisted together on the top and lay parallel on the palm side. The man nodded excitedly and slipped it onto my finger. I stared at it.

"It's too much."

I looked back over at Syaoran, expecting him to be frustrated, but he just smiled. "Something a little simpler, maybe?"

The salesman took us back into the main room, where I found rings that only totaled an annual salary for most middle class workers. A small silver band stood out to me in the middle of countless other rings. A large diamond in the center with 3 miniscule diamonds on each side of it set into the band. I pointed at it and he slid it onto my finger.

"I like this one."

"Okay, let's get it." We followed the man to the register, where he rung us up quickly.

"So with tax, that's-," Syaoran handed over his card without letting the man say the price. "It doesn't matter. Really," he muttered to me.

"That's still really expensive," I whispered to him.

"That's barely a fraction of the price of your old ring," he whispered back. "Oh, hey, you can't wear that out of here. Can I get a box, please?"

The man pranced away to get a box, leaving me staring at the ring in baffled amazement. "That's _really _expensive."

"Don't worry about it," he said in exasperation. "Thank you."

The man grinned. "So, are you proposing today?"

"Yes. It's not much of a surprise anymore, though. She rejected the first ring and made me get a new one."

I glared at Syaoran. "That's definitely not what happened_._"

"Thank you," Syaoran smiled as he ushered me out into the car, slipping the new box into his pocket. "Where do you want to eat?"

**Xxxxxxxxxxxx**

We ate quickly. Prolonging this wasn't something either of us wanted to do. He quickly paid the bill and we went out for a casual stroll out downtown. We arrived what I assumed to be out destination, a large outdoor fountain square outside the Li company. Arced steps led down from the foreboding black structure into the square, surrounded by trees and many, many people.

"So, Syaoran," I asked when he took a deep breath. "What do you want to talk about? Any, uh... questions for me? Proclamations of love, maybe-"

"Sakura, please." His hand in mine was slightly shaky, and when I looked up at him his face was contorted into a nervous grimace.

"Syaoran, come on," I whispered into his ear, leaning on my toes to reach him. "Lighten up."

He nodded, feeling quickly in his pocket. "Okay, is this a good spot, or do you want to be more in the shade?"

"Syaoran, it's fine," I said with exasperation, pulling him in a little closer. At least he had me to talk him through it. I imagined the poor baby _actually_ proposing... he probably wouldn't be able to get through it.

"Okay. Here it goes." Slowly he bent down on one knee. I widened my eyes to look surprised. "Kinomoto Sakura, you are... the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my entire life. You make my life worth living."

I couldn't help but laugh when he said this, knowing he was lying through his teeth. However, a small mob had congregated around us, shrieking and giggling like small fangirls.

"Every time I look into your beautiful..." He squinted slightly up at me. "Green eyes, I get lost in how perfect you are. Never in a million lifetimes would I deserve a woman as flawless as you." He pulled out the small black box from his coat and took a deep breath.

"Kinomoto Sakura..." he said, voice barely above a whisper.

The crowd around us was screaming with excitement. The noise was nothing compared to the blood hammering in my ears.

"Will you marry me?"

I screamed excitedly with the crowd. "Oh, my _gosh_, Syaoran! Yes! Yesyesyes!"

He laughed as he stood up. The crowd around us was deafening.

Slowly Syaoran slid the ring onto my hand. I couldn't stop laughing. _My life is over hahahaha_.

"Sorry," Syaoran whispered quietly before taking my head in his hands and plowing his face into mine. Every ounce of self-control I had kept me from kicking him in the groin on accident (self defense class). Once I realized what was happening, and that I probably looked like an assault victim just standing there, I pressed into him and tried to look like I was enjoying myself. I mean it wasn't like he was bad... in fact, for a fake proposal fake kiss, it was actually quite nice...

But just as quickly as it started, Syaoran disjointed himself from me. I stared at him with red cheeks and parted lips.

Syaoran broke our eye contact to wave at the crowd around us. They slowly began to disperse.

I stepped away from him, examining the ring on my finger closely. My cheeks were still flushed and my heart was racing. _That was awkward._

Finally he took my hand and we made our way into a more secluded part of town just a few blocks away. I looked around smiling at the cameras, avoiding Syaoran's eyes. I would've been mad at him if it hadn't been... I don't know. Now I just felt confused.

I glanced at him. He was staring at me.

"What?" I asked quietly. He shook his head and looked away, stopping and rubbing his face tiredly. We ducked into a random coffee shop.

"I'll go get the car, just wait here." He sighed, kissed my cheek, and walked out the door. I slouched onto a chair and decided to call my uncle.

"Hey, Uncle. You'll never guess what just happened to me..."

**Xxxxxxxxxxxx**

"What do you want for dinner?" Tomoyo called from the kitchen. "Never mind. I'm ordering take-out."

Half of me wanted to turn on the TV, and the other half wanted to throw it out the window. No wonder what Yamazaki had to say about my awkward life.

"Why are you just sitting there?" she asked. Without a thought she turned the TV on. Yamazaki stared back at me, talking about something actually important instead of my love life.

"And in other _interesting_ subjects, we have some very juicy news about the Li-Kinomoto romance. Pei?"

Pei smiled, her large black bob of hair shaking happily. "Oooh. This is very exciting. So, for those of you who _weren't_ in front of the Li Company's building this afternoon, this is raw footage of what happened." She looked like a schoolgirl, jumping around in her chair. I pitied her.

Then the screen cut to a shot of me and Syaoran. Syaoran was standing there- well, kneeling there, looking completely happy (good actor). Of course, in Pei's eyes, he probably just looked desperately in love.

"Kinomoto Sakura, you are... the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my entire life. You make my life worth living."

I laugh.

They played the kiss and cut back to Pei. She wiped her face quickly and smiled. "Well, there you have it! Our happy couple is _engaged!"_ She took a minute to fan her face. "Ooh, they're so perfect together. Yamazaki?"

They cut to Takashi, who looked a bit more professional at the moment. "Thanks, Pei. Now, this may seem pretty hasty to the public eye, but keep in mind they've been together for eight months. True soul mates, from what I can see." He shot a dazzling smile at the camera and they went to another story. Tomoyo turned off the tv and looked at me slyly.

"So how was your passionate engaged kiss?" she said with a raised eyebrow.

"Shut _up,_" I hissed, throwing a pillow at her.

After a few minutes of silence, she sighed. "Sorry."

"About what?" I asked. She hadn't offended me.

"What do you think? Your fake love story captivating millions of naïve fangirls. You're a living, breathing romance novel." Her tone was angry now, her fingers twitching like they always did when she was agitated. "This is the complete opposite of fair. You've got to stop this."

"Oh, you think I can stop it?" I said. I cringed at the hostility in my voice. "What's going to happen? Do I just make a public announcement and forget it ever happened?" I felt all my anger bubbling up inside of me. "And I am so _sick_ of everyone taking pity on me. I feel sorry enough for myself, I don't need other people doing it for me. Don't," I shouted, jerking away from her outstretched hand and walking toward the door.

"Sakura, stop," Tomoyo pleaded. "Come on. What's wrong with you?"

"What do you think?" I whimpered pathetically, my voice cracking as tears threatened to spill down my face. I shrugged on the only coat I could find, unfortunately belonging to my fiancee. "I'll be back later."

She didn't try to stop me as I walked into the crisp air outside. My feet hit the pavement quickly, as if I could power-walk away from my problems. There weren't many people out, but the few that saw me stared and whispered. I kept my head down. It was colder than I had imagined; I buttoned up the jacket with shaky fingers.

I hadn't seen Syaoran since the engagement. I didn't want to see him. Ever. The thought of looking into his eyes tomorrow, being in the general vicinity of his presence, left a sour feeling in the back of my throat. My hand nervously played with the ring on my finger. The giant diamond rubbed my cold fingers painfully.

I must have looked crazy to people. Walking aimlessly down the street, hair in a messy, unattractive bun and no makeup, wearing an oversized men's jacket. I felt crazy.

Finally my feet led me into a bar. After a couple beers, I was bound to feel better.

So when I saw him there with a group of his friends, laughing and drinking, I wanted to die.

I cringed when we made eye contact. His eyes widened only for a moment, then he slipped back into composure. "Oh, there she is!" he said smoothly, covering up the most potentially-awkward situation I had ever been in. "Come here, sweetheart!"

My smile was concrete as I made my way over to him. His friends cheered as he pulled me into the booth beside him and kissed me. He was _drunk_.

"Hahaha, _stop_." I took over his drink as he wrapped an arm around me.

"Baby, these are my friends." Syaoran introduced me to all of them individually. I forgot all their names immediately. "Guys, this is the best damn woman in the world right here." He pulled me in close for another kiss and I found myself not trying to attack him. We were both progressing.

One potentially creepy-looking guy with blueish hair smiled at me. "You're a lucky girl, Sakura. Syaoran is quite a catch."

"Don't I know it," I said with a smile as he tried to kiss me again. I reminded myself to never be around a drunk Syaoran again. "Honey, I don't think your friends want to see us kissing all the time."

"Sorry baby, I can't help myself," he smiled charismatically. "You're just so pretty."

_Maybe he's not so bad drunk_.

So when he leaned in to kiss me again, I didn't try to back away from him. I mean let's just be honest for a second- if an attractive man is complimenting you and trying to kiss you, and he's actually a respectable guy and not a total creep, and you're fake-engaged to him... I mean, go with it right?

We stayed for a couple drinks, but soon enough the place was closing up. Syaoran's friends said their goodbyes and I was left with a completely wasted fiancee. Finally my smile faded and I turned in annoyance to Syaoran.

"Get up. We need to get home." My tugging on his arm only landed him on the floor, moaning in a ball.

"Do you have to be such a baby?" I shouted. With both hands, I grabbed his ankle and began dragging him to the door.

"Stop it," he muttered, flailing around helplessly on the floor like a drunk fish out of water. "Let me goooo."

"I won't stop until you get up!" Dropping his leg, I resorted to kicking him with my heels. The bartender looked horrified.

Finally Syaoran stood up, clutching his stomach painfully. "You're... mean," he whispered.

"Where do you live?" I asked, ignoring his cries of pain as he walked. After taking his wallet and overpaying the bartender, I dragged Syaoran outside. "Seriously. I don't even know where I am right now." My walk was farther than I had thought, putting me in a part of town I didn't recognize at all.

He sighed melodramatically, draping an arm over my shoulders and dragging me down another street. "This is why we should live together," he slurred, grinning deviously. "Then you could just carry me around all day."

"Yes. That logic isn't flawed in the slightest."

He slowly led me back to his ridiculously large and expensive building. I didn't want to think about the time.

We rode the elevator in silence. I found out after a few seconds that physically supporting him was not going to happen. That was how he ended up on the floor, complementing my shoes.

"Syaoran?" I asked. "Don't you need a key?"

He muttered about his wallet absently. I rolled my eyes, searching around in his pockets until I found his wallet, and opened it. Sure enough, a wordless platinum card opened the door into the most extravagant apartment I had ever seen.

Apartment wasn't the right word. One-floormansion only began to do it justice. After a few minutes of just staring at it, I came to my senses and dragged Syaoran out of the elevator, tossing his wallet on a table by the door. The entire wall opposite the elevator was made of floor-to-ceiling glass, giving a flawless view of the sunrise. I forced myself to look for his bedroom and not get distracted. An hour later I had painfully hauled him onto his down-feather bed with perfect white sheets. I took pleasure in the dirt stains his jacket and jeans rubbed off. Of course, some poor slave would probably clean it for him.

It was hard to pity him at the moment. However, I peeled off his jacket and pulled the covers on him before closing the curtains and shutting the door. If I ever got around to finding aspirin, I made a mental note to lay it out for him.

Once the door closed I felt like I was somewhere I shouldn't be. The thought of snooping around his apartment felt wrong when I was alone. Instead, I went in search of another bed. I found his roommate's bedroom (separate beds?), but it had been stripped of sheets. With a feeling of dejection I walked back into the living room and threw my shoes in the corner. The couch, made solely of fine Italian leather, looked way better than my bed. I winced at the cold leather and snuggled into the blanket I found when I was wandering around. I was right; I would've taken this couch to my bed any day. Not that my bed wasn't great and all... but...

The smell of coffee woke me up instantly. My head, buried deep in the leather heaven that was Syaoran's couch, immediately lifted into the air.

He was up, looking unfazed, making something in a skillet. I scrambled over the couch and into the kitchen area. Suddenly instinct froze me.

I looked down. Sure enough, sleep Sakura had removed my clothes and left me in nothing but a thin black camisole and my undergarments. My heart froze. With the speed of a ninja I leaped back to the couch and deep beneath my blanket. He hadn't noticed me yet.

With as little sound as possible I looked for my clothes. Only my unconscious mind knew where I put them. Scanning the apartment cautiously, I let out a silent groan. There they were, on the complete opposite side of the living room draped over an ottoman. I cursed myself for sleepwalking (and sleep stripping). Of course, my shirt and jacket were neatly laid in front of me. I put the jacket on quickly, making sure all buttons were secured, before I got up and tried to sneak up on my jeans lest they run from me.

I was almost there when he saw me.

"AAAAH!" he shouted, throwing a spoon at me. I narrowly avoided it while simultaneously screaming.

Syaoran's eyes were wide and his breath was heavy. It took a moment before he spoke. "You... gave me a heart attack."

I pulled the jacket down, thankfully covering me up to mid-thigh, and smiled. "Good morning!"

"Why are you here?" he asked, returning to his omelette. Thankfully he didn't throw the skillet. I picked up the spoon, harmless a few feet away from me, and sat behind the counter. He slid his omelette out of the pan and onto a mint green plate before handing it to me and cracking two more eggs.

I cut it open with the retrieved spoon and sighed happily. "I took you home this morning." His cooking was delicious. I closed my eyes and savored the wonderful flavor. Not even Tomoyo could-

Oh yes. Tomoyo.

"Ahhh. I need to use your phone." Immediately I leaped out of the stool and ran around frantically searching for a phone. "Where's your phone?!"

He winced at my yelling. "On the table. _On the table_," he directed angrily, pointing right in front of me.

I dialed my phone and Tomoyo answered on the first ring.

"Why are you at Syaoran's apartment?! Did you sleep with him?!-"

"I'm _okay_, Tomoyo. Thanks for asking." I slumped into the chair in front of me, which belonged to a dark mahogany dining set placed in front of the window wall. The sun was halfway up the sky, casting a warm glow on the streets below me.

"That's not an answer! You did, didn't you?!"

"No, Tomoyo," I whispered into the phone with mortification. I was afraid to look over at him to see if he heard me. Of course he didn't hear the question, but it still felt like he _knew_.

"You're a waste of estrogen, Sakura. Honestly."

"I'll be home in less than an hour," I promised lamely.

"Oh, no you don't," she scolded. "Do you know what I have planned for you today? You've got a _full schedule_. That means no sleeping. You're going straight to work. And _don't_ test me," she added menacingly before hanging up. I groaned, reconsidering my friendships, before returning to my delicious omelette.

"Where are your clothes?" he asked casually. I choked a little on my breakfast before answering.

"Uh, over there somewhere." I kept my eyes on my food. "I... get hot when I'm sleeping."

He nodded fought back a smile. "Of course."

"I hope you don't want this back," I said, stretching my arms out in the too-big sleeves.

"Not without washing it," he muttered while putting away ingredients. I scowled and finished my plate quickly.

The silence bothered me. "Your apartment is fancy," I blurted.

He examined my face cautiously to see whether I was making fun of him or not. "You get used to it" was all he said in return.

I slid my plate closer to the sink and sat in silence. Watching someone eat had always seemed very personal. He took small bites, leaning against the counter. It seemed routine to him, as if he ate there every morning. He was still in the same clothes as yesterday. He hadn't shaved either, giving him (quite attractive) stubble across his jawline. Even after getting completely wasted just a few hours ago, he looked nice. I couldn't say the same for myself. My messy bun was messier, I was in a stranger's apartment, and my pants were gone.

He finished silently, sliding both our plates into the sink absentmindedly. "There's... some clothes in the bedroom that may fit you." He engrossed himself in the mundane task of washing dishes, even though the dish washer was right beside him. Business Syaoran had been peeled away slowly, without a suit, perfect hair, or a powerpoint behind him. He was just Normal Syaoran, who was prone to moments of awkwardness just like everyone else.

"...Oh. Thanks." I slid off the stool quickly and hurried out of the room to leave him alone. The thought of wearing his girlfriend's clothes... made me jealous for some reason.

I opened the closet hesitantly. Sure enough, a small portion of space was occupied with a woman's clothing. My blood turned hot as I shuffled through the clothes quickly, at first looking for something relatively new and unused. Then my jealousy got the best of me, and I took a dress that lay tossed on the floor as if it had just been worn. A soft pink that disagreed with my skin tone, and one that Tomoyo would most definitely deem "unacceptable," but it was hers.

His bathroom, of course, was about as big as my childhood home. At the sight of his shower, I cast away Tomoyo's far-from-empty threats and shed my remaining clothes. After five cold, nervous, naked minutes of trying to figure out how it worked, I finally turned it on.

Tomoyo could kill me and bury me in a mountain of lace for all I cared.

I tried to keep it under ten minutes. But after twenty, I dropped my resolve. His body wash smelled like heaven trapped in a bottle. After about five minutes of inhaling it, I decided to just use it and smell my arms throughout the day, disregarding the fact that I would smell like a man.

Finally I forced myself out of the shower. There was only a certain extent to Tomoyo's mercy. Using one of the clean, neatly folded towels by the sink, I dried off quickly. I also secretly found myself thanking his girlfriend for leaving a straightener behind (or more likely, he just bought it for her and she was so ugly she never used it). After fixing my hair, I took the little pink dress and slid it on cautiously.

I smirked triumphantly. It was a size too big.

Quickly using any makeup I found lying around in the drawers, I made my way back to the living room and slid my shoes back on. Somehow he was sitting there, a perfect Business Syaoran (though he hadn't shaved). A news station filled the room with white noise as he drank coffee silently.

"Ready?" he asked, switching the tv off. I hated when people asked me if I was ready when I was obviously ready. With a twinge of annoyance, I grabbed his jacket and walked into the elevator.

The ride down was silent, but I couldn't help but notice him looking at the dress I wore. _So long, girlfriend whose name I don't remember_, I thought evilly. _It's mine now._

His car was as clean and flawless as ever. "You're quite the neat freak, aren't you?" I asked.

"It's a learned habit," he responded. The rest of the ride was silent.

I was expecting him to drop me off. Instead, he pulled into _my_ parking space and got out with me. I would have said something, but he seemed to be in a mood. So much for women being the hormonal ones.

"Do you mind taking the stairs?" he asked.

"Sure, if you don't mind switching shoes." My four-inch heels (Tomoyo's, rather) made every step painful. I resented them with every fiber of my being.

I expected him to make a critical remark, but he looked relatively sympathetic and called the elevator.

It took three minutes for it to come, not to mention the long ride awaiting us. As soon as the doors opened, I slumped to the ground and clutched my head. My nightmarish headache was getting worse.

For the first couple seconds, he stood in the corner. But eventually he fell next to me. Even he was human. He ran a hand through his hair, noticeably messing it up. My fingers itched to fix it. (I attributed this to late-onset OCD, and nothing else.) He looked down at the dress again with a unreadable expression.

Now I felt guilty for wearing her dress. I should have picked something that wasn't part of her; it was like wearing her face, reminding him of her every time he looked at me.

"Are you okay?" I finally asked.

He looked at me quickly, like I had snapped him out of deep thought. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said, shrugging it off.

I rolled my eyes. "You can tell me anything. I _love_ you." I wiggled my ring hand violently.

"Speaking of which," he said mostly to himself, grabbing his wallet and rummaging around in it. "This is for you. Well, probably more for Tomoyo." He handed me an exclusive-looking credit card. "And this," he said while handing me a familiar platinum card, "is only for you."

I stared at the two cards with both awe and concern. "Do... I mean, does this..."

"If you wouldn't mind," Syaoran said quietly. "You can have your own room. You can bring anything you want, or do anything you want." His eyes were locked on the floor. "I still haven't gotten used to having the place to myself."

My heart ached. Here was Syaoran the Impenetrable, actually needing me instead of the other way around. _As if I ever needed him_, I scoffed inwardly. _I could get on just fine without him and all his money and his successful company and his whole saving-my-family deal._

"I'll start packing when I get home," I promised, then sighed. "Your hair's all messed up." I crawled over to him and flattened the mess that was his hair. He didn't resist me, just looking lost in his own thoughts.

"Will you _please_ tell me what's going on with you?" I sat down next to him, close enough that my breath moved his hair slightly to the side.

He took a moment to answer, finding the right words. "I'm sorry. This is just... a lot."

I leaned away from him and sighed. His hair was still messed up.

I stood up quickly, and Syaoran followed.

"Your hair is still a mess," I muttered, combing through it with my fingers. Suddenly he grabbed my waist, examining the dress. My breath caught.

"It is a little big, isn't it?" he said quietly.

Without warning the elevator opened, revealing a giant banner reading "CONGRATULATIONS!" and hundreds of co-workers screaming excitedly. Syaoran tightened his grip on my waist and forced a smile. My face was red enough to be on fire.

"Perfect," he sighed under his breath.

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxx**


	3. Chapter 3

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"What a surprise!" Syaoran said excitedly, running up to six screaming girls and hugging them. I was ushered by Tomoyo into the lobby that had been lavishly decorated.

"I did it myself," Tomoyo said proudly. "Wait." She stopped and looked at me with meticulous eyes. "What are you wearing?"

I knew this would happen. "Listen-"

"I don't have time to take you shopping. Sakura, you _can't_ keep doing this to me!" She continued to yell into the air, going on about my betrayal. I walked away quietly.

Naoko walked up to me quietly. "Hey, Sakura."

I smiled apologetically and took the glass of wine she handed me. "Thanks."

We sat down on one of the lobby couches in silence. Naoko was good about not talking, unlike some people (who happened to befriend the Li sisters instantly). As I watched Tomoyo giggle with the six girls, I realized she was truly and honestly _enjoying_ my misery. Probably just jealous that she wasn't getting married. She had been planning her wedding since the first day I met her.

"Li's pretty normal compared to his relatives," Naoko mused. "Syaoran, I mean. Not Old Li. He's just creepy."

I watched him talking to my uncle pleasantly and had to agree. He was very reserved, something that I had always found difficult.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked suddenly. "Not prying, just... concerned."

"Doing what?" I looked down at my lap meticulously, smoothing out wrinkles in the pink dress. It really didn't look that bad on me, honestly. Maybe if Tomoyo took it in about a half inch in the waist... I looked back up to find Naoko staring at me.

She rolled her eyes and took a drink. "Nothing."

I frowned, hoping I wasn't as transparent as I felt. If everyone could tell I was lying, I would definitely have to live in a box for the rest of my life.

Tomoyo laughed behind me. I was used to her sneaking up, so her presence barely startled me. "Oh, Sakura," she laughed. "This is going to be the best engagement party ever."

I chugged the rest of my alcohol and grabbed another glass from a passing waiter. I had a pretty good feeling that this was going to be a horrible day.

"There he is!" Tomoyo shrieked as Syaoran took a step in our direction. "Look at you two. So cute together, right?"

"Oh yes," one of the Li sisters said happily. "They're probably the cutest couple in _ever_."

I shot Syaoran a half-smile. He returned it and continued to talk to fat old businessmen.

"So Sakura," one of the Li sisters asked me slyly, "did you and Syaoran do it after the engagement?"

I choked on my drink. Tomoyo hit my back repeatedly as I spewed red wine all over the hardwood floor. Afraid to look up, I saw every eye fixated either on me or the stain on the ground.

"Sorry," I said quietly.

"I think that's a yes," Tomoyo whispered to the Li sister.

"I can recognize Hannah's old dress any day," the youngest grinned. "So you stayed over last night?"

"Uh," I sputtered, "...yes."

They shrieked. "Oh _Sakura_! Tell us everything!"

"I will tell you nothing, because nothing happened." I downed what little wine I hadn't managed to spill on the floor and sighed. The sisters seemed to lose interest. "But," I said carefully.

"BUT WHAT?" one shrieked.

"He, uh, asked me to move in with him," I muttered while my face turned bright red. Of course, I didn't even have to worry about being embarrassed as the sisters began to scream so loudly the floor shook. Without time to guard myself they began a dogpile on the couch asking questions one after the other. I remained silent as they answered the questions themselves. They giggled happily and continued to talk about my sexual life.

Tired of hearing about things that definitely never happened (and _definitely never would_), I somehow escaped from the couch and looked around for other people I knew. There was that sweet old lady from HR who always smelled like moth balls. I attempted to walk over to her to start a conversation, but she quickly turned away.

So this is what my life has come to. Getting shot down by a cat lady.

Touya approached me cautiously. "Are you going to spit wine all over me, or am I good?"

"Shut up." I hit him with me free hand and took another sip of my drink. Well, maybe not a sip. "Forgive me for wanting to be heavily intoxicated right now."

He made an understanding shrug. "I'd be worse off than you by this point."

My eyes wandered across the room. "Why are half the people here geriatrics?"

"They're our investors and members of the board. For some reason, they love you two." He took a drink thoughtfully. "I wonder why."

"Uh, duh. It's because I'm so beautiful and generous."

"That's it." He sighed. "This is boring."

"You're boring," I responded without a second thought.

"Okay, I'm going to get some work done. If anyone asks, I'm in the bathroom."

"I doubt anyone cares about you enough to wonder where you are," I said as he sulked away to his office. I was left abandoned. If I were given the choice between being abandoned here or in the desert... it would take me a few minutes to make a decision.

"Listen up!" Tomoyo shouted, standing on a chair in the middle of the room. She was banging a spoon on the side of her glass (as if that were actually a thing that people do). "A toast to the happy couple!"

I looked across the room to Syaoran, who looked just about as happy as I felt. We walked toward each other awkwardly.

"May your lives," she said loudly, obviously drunk, "be filled with _happiness_ and... good times." Everyone clapped and she got down from her precariously wobbly chair. "Thank you."

Syaoran wrapped a hand around my waist and smiled.

"KISS!" the Li sisters chanted in unison. Soon other people began joining in, and we stood in the middle of the room surrounded by angry rioters. "KISS KISS KISS KISS KISS-"

Syaoran looked wary. He looked like a deer in the headlights, all of a sudden too nervous to throw himself on me. So I leaned up on my tiptoes, grabbed his neck and kissed him softly. Immediately I felt very self-conscious about this; normally we just kind of fell onto each other and broke away quickly. This was very deliberate... intimate.

Obviously this was not something he expected. He stumbled backward a step before regaining his balance. After a few long seconds I leaned away from him and smiled pleasantly. The crowd around us erupted with applause. I grinned smugly and looked back at Syaoran, who was looking down at me with confusion. _Victory for meeee_.

Naoko refilled my glass for me. "Wasn't expecting that."

"Neither was he, apparently." I looked back at Syaoran, who was still standing there, like a loser. "But whatever. It's payback for yesterday."

"What, are you two in some sort of intimacy battle?" Naoko set down the bottle of wine on a nearby table.

"Something like that." I sighed dramatically.

Tomoyo eventually began ushering people out, and I retreated to my office with an extra bottle of wine. Walking was difficult, but I blamed it on the shoes. The shoes were death traps.

I tried to get some work done even though I was slightly intoxicated. After about half an hour Naoko poked her head in my office.

"Are you still drinking?"

"I'm staying hydrated," I replied. "It's _good_ for you."

"Well, a man named Yamazaki wants to meet with you. Should I tell him to wait?"

"NO." I slammed my fists on my desk dramatically. "SEND HIM IN."

"He's not here right now," she replied warily. "But I'll tell him to come. No more of this. You're a mess." She took my bottle and walked out.

I looked at myself in the mirror. "I am beautiful."

An hour later, Takashi knocked on my door (by which point I was at least halfway sober). "Ms. Kinomoto?"

"TAKASHI!" I said happily. I motioned for him to sit in the couch opposite my desk. "It's so good to seee yoooou."

He nodded warily. "Are you..."

"Happy? Yes. Why aren't you writing this down?" I stared at him intently. "You're not wearing your business-y clothes."

Takashi laughed nervously. "Uh, yeah. I came to talk about something else."

I frowned, but he continued. "Syaoran and I are really good friends... And despite my job, he told me about the situation that you two are in."

My brain somehow processed that this was a bad thing. "Wait, he what?"

"No no no, don't worry, it was weeks ago," he insisted. "Your secret's safe with me. I would never do anything to hurt Syaoran."

I frowned. "Okay. So what did you want to talk about?"

"...Uh..." He struggled for words. "Would you... like to have dinner some time?"

My eyes brightened. I stumbled across the room (like a _goddess_) to sit beside him on the couch. "For real?"

He smiled nervously. "I mean, we'd have to meet somewhere private. Obviously."

"_Yes_," I said enthusiastically. "Yes yes yes."

He grinned. "Okay, great." He stood up and walked to the door. "I'll... uh, call you?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "Call me."

"Okay. Bye." He closed the door and left me to jump around my office happily. After a few minutes of dancing, I grabbed my phone and called Tomoyo.

"Hey, you're never going to guess what happened to me."

She sighed. "What happened to you, Sakura?"

"I got a date."

Tomoyo sounded exasperated. "Sakura, that's not a very big deal. You and Syaoran have gone on like, a dozen dates already."

"No," I whispered. "A _real_ date."

**Xxxxxxxxxxxx**

The best part about the Li girls was that they supplied their own conversation. All I had to do was smile, agree with what they said, and tune them out. The ride to lunch was filled with their giggling, apparently talking about wedding plans. I found it ironic that the people who cared most about the wedding had almost nothing to do with it.

"-And like, petals falling from the ceiling! Or would that be a ripoff of Jenna and Mark's wedding last year?"

"Nah, they're getting a divorce so it doesn't matter."

"Yeah, it's super cute anyways. And it's not like they copyrighted it."

"We should copyright it!"

"Totally."

I did find the limousine comfortable. I could get used to limousines.

"What do you think, Sakura?"

"Oh, yeah," I agreed wholeheartedly. It made them happy.

"But will that clash with the black napkins?"

"Are you retarded? The napkins are at the reception. We can have like, two different color schemes."

"Oh yeah, like pink."

"Totally pink."

"What about pink and lavender?"

"Oh my gosh! It'd look like Easter or something!"

"_The wedding should be on Easter._"

"Totally!"

"Then, we could have an easter egg hunt after the wedding!"

"It's like you can read my mind or something."

We got to the restaurant eventually, where Syaoran and his parents met us. We shared little to no eye contact, and I made sure to sit as far from him as possible. Unfortunately that meant I was in the middle of the Li sisters, but it was a price I was willing to pay.

"Daddy, can Sakura come shopping with us?" one of them asked. "_Pleeeease?_"

"Of course, darling," Old Li answered kindly. I wasn't used to him having a soul, and it took me by surprise. "Sakura, I would love for you to join us for dinner tomorrow night."

I forced a smile. "Of course, sir."

He seemed pleased and let the girls discuss wedding plans for the rest of lunch. I grew tired of it quickly, and when I glanced at Syaoran, he looked like he was on the brink of suicide.

"But Syaoran looks horrible in green."

"It would only be the tie, _idiot._ Unless you want him in a green suit."

"That would be so cool if the wedding were on St. Patrick's Day!"

"Oh my gosh, totally."

"Syaoran looks horrible in most colors. Don't you, Syaoran?"

"Xei," he sighed, too tired to protest.

"Shut up, Syaoran. He'd look so cute in blue."

"Not like, baby blue, though, right?"

"No, like a rustic turquoise."

"Why doesn't he just wear a black tie?"

"Because then he'd look like that guy from Mad Men."

"We should do like, a fifties theme!"

"Yeah! Daddy, you could help us decorate!"

Li glared over his water glass, but said nothing.

"We should have Mexican people play at the reception. Like, a maraca band."

"Mariachi," Syaoran said under his breath.

"Nobody asked you," the sister next to him said, hitting him.

"That would be _so_ tacky. We need like, Mariah Carey."

"What about a rapper? That would be so cool."

"I don't think a rapper would be a good idea. You can't slow dance to that."

"What's their first dance going to be, _Baby Got Back_?"

"It could work."

"You just like that guy Ludacris."

"He's _cute_."

"We aren't having Ludacris at the reception."

"Oh my gosh, I just had the best idea. What if instead of walking down the aisle, Sakura fell from the ceiling in a harness?"

"Like an angel!"

"We should so do that."

"She should have wings on the dress."

"_Amazing._"

"This is sounding less like a wedding and more like a Victoria's Secret fashion show," Syaoran said quietly.

"She'd still be wearing a dress, idiot."

"Yeah, don't be a pervert."

"You're so dumb, Syaoran. You shouldn't be running a company."

"Guys. What about a sea theme?"

"Yes!"

"Like, Syaoran could dress up like Poseidon and grow out a beard."

"And Sakura would be the mermaid he fell in love with!"

"We could have it on the beach and _everything_."

"How would she walk?"

"We could make like, a parade float to carry her in on."

"How romantic!"

"Where could we get a trident?"

"The party store?"

"No, I want it to be legit. Like, the real one. King Triton's."

"I bet it's in a museum somewhere."

"It would so be worth it."

"Ooh! Let's rent out a castle in Ireland."

"Way to go totally off-topic, Fei."

"No, that sounds _so_ romantic."

"Right? And after the wedding, they could just stay there for the honeymoon!"

"Ooooh!"

"That's so romantic."

"And it'd be way cheaper than buying Poseidon's trident."

"Right?"

"So romantic."

"And we can hire little Irish people to live there and play games with them so they don't get bored!"

"Xian, do you know what the point of a honeymoon is?"

"That's like, a ripoff of _Made of Honor._"

"But it was so romantic!"

"We should totally do that."

"Oh my gosh," one sighed, "I can't believe it's already two o'clock!"

I looked at my phone, and sure enough, I had endured their banter for two agonizing hours. Syaoran heaved a sigh of relief.

"Can we go?" Syaoran asked, running a hand through his hair with irritation.

"Syaoran, you're such a party pooper."

"Seriously."

"Daddy, can we go shopping?"

Mr. Li gave his card to the waiter nonchalantly. "Girls, you may go shopping with Sakura if she would like to join you."

"Sakura, _pleeeease?_"

My half-shrug, meant to be a "sorry, no," was interpreted as "OMG YES."

"Let's keep it under a few thousand," Mr. Li said before kissing each of the girls and leaving. My jaw dropped to the floor.

"Where are you going, Syaoran?" one girl asked. He stopped in his tracks and turned around with pure fear in his eyes.

"Work?"

"Oh, no. You're coming with us."

"Wha- no. I'm not going-"

"Please, Syaoran?" I asked quietly. _I can't be in a room with them alone._

The second we made eye contact his expression melted. The hard resolve in his eyes vanished, as if I were a small puppy abandoned in the middle of a pack of wolves.

"...Okay."

The girls squealed happily. I looked down at my painful shoes and sighed.

"Oh my gosh, that's so romantic."

"I know right?"

**Xxxxxxxxxxxx**

Somehow the goal of the trip turned into finding me something to wear to dinner tomorrow night. I insisted that I had plenty of things to wear, but my words fell on deaf ears.

"It's not such a bad thing, actually," Syaoran said to me. "My parents tend to throw pretty... extravagant dinners." It sounded more like an insult than a compliment.

"Syaoran, what do you think of this one?" One sister held out a hot pink mini-dress, and I doubted it would cover the back of my hand. His face turned a deep crimson.

Eventually the two of us got tired of listening to them and went to do "couple things". We ended up at a Starbucks a few blocks away.

"I'm sorry my family is insane," he said tiredly. "I try to avoid them most of the time."

The aroma of the coffee shop made me want to curl in a corner and read Jane Austen. However, I was stuck at a table in the middle of the room being gawked at by other customers. It made me miss the days when I wasn't famous.

"They're nice enough. Just... loud." My coffee twirled in my hand absentmindedly. "And hyper-affectionate."

Syaoran nodded. He looked ready to fall asleep in his chair. "Are you all right?"

He leaned up and took a drink. "I didn't sleep well last night."

_When does he ever_? I had to wonder to myself. "You recovered from that drunken escapade pretty well."

He laughed. "Something my father taught me. At least once a week a client invites me out for drinks, and it's not like I can say no." He took another drink. "I'm beginning to wonder if it's worth it."

"Well, sure it's like five bucks for a cup of coffee, but the atmosphere is really nice."

Syaoran gave me a pointed look which I chose to ignore. We enjoyed another fifteen minutes of silence before the Li sisters found us.

"Sakura, we found like, a bagillion dresses for you to try on."

"Where do you think you're going, Syaoran?"

"Yeah, you have to pick."

"It'll be _so_ romantic."

"Totally."

"That's not a good idea. He has no sense of style."

"Seriously, Syaoran. What shoes are you wearing?"

He looked baffled. "But you bought these for me!"

"Yeah, like, a year ago."

"Can we just... go? Somewhere else?" I offered loudly. The looks we got leaving the shop were pretty intimidating.

I tried on countless dresses. Every time, Syaoran said he loved it, and it was "the one". But of course, the sisters weren't fooled. Either that or they were just stubborn. Probably both.

"My skin is getting sore," I complained to the sister zipping me up. She just rolled her eyes and shoved me out of the dressing room.

The dress was a deep violet, pulled together with an empire waist and continuing to the floor effortlessly. I stood awkwardly, not really sure where to put my hands. They ended up clutched right below my chin like a small child posing for family portraits.

"Pretty," Syaoran said, looking at his phone.

"Xiao!" a sister yelled, hitting him. Angrily he looked at her, then me.

He just stared.

Two of the sisters squealed behind me. "How romantic," one sighed.

"Do I look stunning?" I asked politely. My sarcasm was lost on him.

"I... You look nice." He smiled at me warmly, then coughed and checked his phone.

With nothing else to say, I looked down at the price tag. And nearly fainted.

"But that's not even one of the expensive ones," one sister chided. "Xiao, you have the strangest sense in fashion."

"Blame it on my upbringing," he muttered under his breath. Despite his resentment, his eyes were locked on me.

"I think my feet are bleeding on the dress," I said with exasperation. "Can we just buy it and leave?"

"They're cranky today, aren't they?" Three sisters whispered behind Syaoran's chair. He frowned.

"Would you like to dance first?" he offered in a very Darcy manner.

I looked at the sisters, now swooning with approval, and held in my groan of despair. "Sure."

I kicked my shoes off quickly, leaving me about four inches shorter. My eyes rested on the base of his neck now, which was good. Eye contact was an issue with us.

The pianist in the corner of the store baffled me. It was like he knew we were coming, with our dysfunctional parade of Lis. Nevertheless Syaoran took my hand in his and slid a very careful hand around my waist. At least the girls weren't looking for a steamy romance. Comfortable relationship I could manage.

My eyes wandered to the girls as Syaoran spun me around like a doll. What other hidden talents did he have? I guess rich kids have nothing better to do than learn how to waltz.

A wave of squeals erupted when he dipped me close to the ground and looked into my eyes passionately. It took every ounce of control in my body to keep from laughing.

We didn't talk, which was odd if I were comparing us to a romance novel. He _should_ be revealing something about himself that made me fall even more in love with him. And I should be reveling at the slightest touch, his soft caress against my waist. My heartbeat should quicken when he looked into my eyes and brushed a strand of hair out of my face. But all I could think was _Don't laugh, don't laugh._ And the slight curve of his lips told me that he was probably thinking the same thing.

Finally the song ended. I smiled at him affectionately, and he planted a quick kiss on my cheek.

After exiting the store, the eight of us walked around a little more. Syaoran held my hand in his, something that didn't really bother me anymore, and pointed out things to me randomly. Like "My father bought that" or "my family owns that" or other intriguing sentiments.

The sisters broke off into packs, going to different shops for things they most definitely _had to have_. Eventually we were left alone; his hand fell out of mine.

"We really should get you some more comfortable shoes," he said with concern in his voice. "You deserve something for putting up with them."

I smiled. "They're not that bad."

"Yeah, like a dozen piranhas attacking you really aren't that bad."

I rolled my eyes as we walked into another shop. Immediately the shoppers recognized us and stalked us from the corners of their eyes. My hand found Syaoran's silently.

"This stuff is crazy expensive," I mused out loud. He dragged me to a pair of brown knee-high boots.

"What size are you?" he asked while waving down an associate. My mind blanked.

"Uh... seven?" Was that it? I couldn't think with the $1500 price tag staring back at me.

"Can you get these in a size seven?" Syaoran asked. The girl ran gladly to the back of the store and returned moments later, looking _extremely_ pleased with herself. Good for her, retrieving shoes.

My death trap shoes were removed quickly, the slices of heaven replacing them. I sighed as the fur lining cuddled with my toes. Sure, the price tag could pay all my bills for a month and get me a coffee machine that actually worked, but they were just so _comfy._

"Do you like them?" Syaoran asked.

"Yes. A lot."

"Then we'll get them."

**Xxxxxxxxxxxx**

We met up with the sisters shortly afterward, who had miraculously acquired dozens of shopping bags after only an hour. The limousine took us back to the Li Corporaion building. Surprisingly, I had never been there. I had been on the outside, obviously. I glared at the spot where Syaoran had proposed before I walked into the lobby.

"Do you mind if we stay for a few minutes?" Syaoran asked as we climbed the elevator. "I need to get something off my computer."

"Sure," I agreed. We finally reached the 43, the top floor, and the sisters frolicked out happily. I followed Syaoran to his office which he unlocked silently.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

His office was _huge._ And not huge like, "He can fit two file cabinets in the corner", but huge like, "He can fit two caged lions in the corner."

There was a large desk against the back wall which he walked to quickly and turned on the computer. I sat in a chair across from him, which gave me a perfect view of the waterfall in the corner. I should have a waterfall installed in his apartment.

"My mother was in charge of the decorations," Syaoran said. "But she left yours empty."

I stared blankly. "What?"

"Your office. It's right down the hall. You've got a name plaque and everything." He pointed toward the door. "Stupid Windows." He hit the computer lightly.

I would have badgered him with questions, but I was too exhausted from the day. Plus, the waterfall was super relaxing.

After a few minutes of silence, a slender, dark-haired woman stepped into the office. "Xiao Lang, you can't keep abandoning your work for this stupid wedding." She glanced at me and sighed. "You've got to get this Ericson report done tonight. Please type the whole thing instead of sending me your scribbled notes. I can't read your boy-handwriting." She threw a folder onto his desk and exited the room.

"My cousin," he introduced, rubbing his face. "Listen, I forgot all about this. Why don't I call you a taxi?" The phone was already in his hand.

I frowned. "Don't you want some company?"

"I'm not asking you to stay, Sakura. You need rest just as much as I do. Probably more, actually, since you're supposed to be the cute one." He opened the file and read it carefully. "This makes no sense."

"I can at least get you coffee," I offered.

"Down the hall to the left," Syaoran called as I walked out the door.

The whole place reeked of money. Everywhere I looked was something expensive. I followed his instructions to a very nice kitchen, where I found the machine empty. Grumbling about common courtesy, I brewed another cup and brought it back with a few packets of sugar and creamer. He took it gratefully.

"Do you need anything else?" I asked, sitting down on the edge of his desk and watching him work.

"Can you make sense of this?" He handed me a piece of paper cluttered with awful handwriting.

I scanned it carefully. "This isn't even the next page. These are all out of order."

He frowned. "I didn't notice that." He took the paper and examined it over again. "You're right."

I smiled. I'm always right.

Syaoran kept working, occasionally handing me a bit of his nasty handwriting to be deciphered. After a while I could read it without glancing twice. He typed and typed like a little busy beaver. Every once and a while I would get us coffee. I felt like a personal secretary.

"Finally," Syaoran sighed, leaning back in his chair. I watched the report print out and smiled. "Thanks for your help."

"You really should start typing your notes."

He smiled and turned off the computer. "Well, it's... seven."

I frowned. "What?"

"Time flies when you're having fun," he said with sarcasm. "Are you hungry?"

My stomach immediately felt empty. "Very."

"Let's get carry-out," he offered. My heart melted at the thought.

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

I was glad to find that Syaoran wasn't one of those people that ate at the table in silence. We sat in the couch in the living room watching a re-run of _Full House._

"Michelle is such a brat," he said with disapproval. "How can you raise two decent children and then just have the last one turn out horrible?"

"Because her mom died before they could go to the mother-daughter Girl Scout sleepover and she had to take Joey." I took another bite of orange chicken.

"That was Stephanie," he corrected.

"Oh my gosh, you're such a nerd."

He glared at me. I chose to ignore him.

"I used to have the worst crush on John Stamos," I admitted. "You know, after he got rid of the mullet."

"So you like bad boys," he mused. "I used to have a motorcycle, you know."

I grimaced. "No."

He nodded shamelessly. "I felt like a stallion."

It made me happy to see him with his guard down. His suit jacket had been thrown on the chair and his shoes sat neatly by the door. The white sleeves of his shirt were rolled up, and his tie loosened. I sat beside him with my legs criss-crossed in front of me.

"I finally sold it to help pay for this place when I first got it. It wasn't always decked out."

I was taken aback. "You paid for this yourself?"

He nodded. "I don't borrow money from my father."

"That's impressive." Everything in the apartment now seemed more expensive and fragile.

"Come on," he said, picking up our food and tossing it in the trash. I followed him back to his bedroom.

"There are some clothes in the third drawer..."

The room was trashed. His clothes were strewn all over the place and drawers poured out onto the floor, but the closet space filled with women's clothes were barren. It was obvious that someone had come back for a visit; it was then that I noticed a small yellow envelope sitting on the bed.

Syaoran's face was blank.

"Uh, I'll... go." I skittered away, kicking myself for being so unhelpful. Syaoran leaned against the doorframe for quite a while before walking in and closing the door.

There were some old college sweat pants in the other room (my room, I supposed), which I changed into readily. It had been a long day, and I was ready to go to bed.

I tossed and turned for about an hour before getting up. _Stupid conscience_, I cursed as I shuffled quietly to Syaoran's room. The door was still closed; I knocked on it quietly. Maybe he was asleep. Then I could just go to bed and not feel guilty.

"Yeah," he answered quietly.

Damn it.

I opened the door cautiously. He was just laying on the bed, staring at the ceiling with a yellow note in his hand. The room was still a mess.

"Hey," I said awkwardly in the doorframe. "I, uh..." My brain couldn't form a sentence that worked. "...Are you okay?"

He waited a minute before responding. "Yeah."

Super convincing.

"Well, I can't sleep. And your apartment is super creepy at night."

Syaoran turned his head to look at me.

"I was going to watch TV, but I feel like there are evil creatures hiding behind the furniture."

He stared at me blankly.

"...So..."

He continued to stare.

I sighed dramatically. "Will you just come out here please?"

He looked at me some more before slowly getting up and following me into the living room. It wasn't _entirely_ a lie; his apartment could be in a horror film.

I switched on the TV, where _Clean Dancing_ was just starting. "Oooooooohh yay!"

Syaoran sat down on the far end of the couch and propped his feet up on the coffee table. I placed a pillow against his leg and sprawled out across the rest of the couch, resting my head on him. The fuzzy blanket draped over the chair covered me happily.

I stayed awake through about ten minutes of the movie before falling asleep.

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxx**

I woke up to the smell of bacon. _My life is awesome_, I thought to myself.

I peeked over the couch and had a perfect view of Syaoran slaving over a stove. He looked over at me and smiled.

"Good morning," he said pleasantly with red-rimmed eyes. I decided not to mention it. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, thanks." I couldn't let him go to work today. "What time is it?"

"A little after six." He slid me a plate and sighed. "I'm going to go get ready, but if you need anything-"

"Wait," I interrupted with a mouthful of eggs. "Can you help me move in today?"

He looked at me studiously. "You sure?"

I nodded vigorously. "I have to have my stuff here. Like, a toothbrush."

He picked up his plate and poked the food absently. "Okay."

I smiled triumphantly and returned to my food. We ate silently, absorbed in our own thoughts.

"I see you found my college stuff," he finally said, reaching for my empty plate.

"I hope you don't mind." I had already fallen in love with the shirt, and probably wouldn't ever take it off. I could get married in it.

"Not at all." He paused. "I will be needing the dress, though."

_Hannah_, I seethed. A horrible name. "Yeah, totally."

Syaoran cleaned off the plates quickly. "My parents' dinner is at seven tonight. I think Xian Fei left your new dress at the office."

"Yay."

It didn't take long to pack the things I needed. I mostly loaded clothes and toiletries, plus a few comfort items. Tomoyo watched me and Syaoran pack silently from my old bed, sipping her coffee forlornly.

"Sakura, you look positively dreadful," she finally remarked. I hoisted my box of shoes off the ground and spared her a quick glare before waddling down the stairs.

"Is that everything?" Syaoran asked, closing the trunk of his car. I nodded and checked the time. Only five. We had plenty of time before the dinner.

Before we left, I sat down beside Tomoyo on the bed. "We have to go. Syaoran's parents are having a dinner party at seven. Do you want to come?"

"Oh no," she said dejectedly. "I think I'ltgl just eat a pint of ice cream and watch a Lifetime documentary."

"Don't be a drama queen," I chastised. "You'll see me every single day."

"Yes," she sighed painfully, "but it will never be the same."

I gave her a tight hug and left, feeling worse with every step. By the time I reached Syaoran's car, my heart was as heavy as a ton of bricks.

We didn't have time to unpack, so the boxes sat in the living room ominously. Xian Fei had dropped off the dress in Syaoran's room (which should really be my room too, but I wasn't about to complain). I paired it with a pair of short black heels, since they wouldn't be seen anyway. I quickly threw my hair into a messy bun and pinned it up. I ran into the living room and dug through boxes for my makeup bag, quickly making my face look acceptable. My clock said 6:14 when I was ready. I ran out of the room to find Syaoran waiting in the kitchen, sitting on a barstool with his mind somewhere else. I immediately felt unworthy of his fanciness.

"You look beautiful," he said quietly. I smiled and followed him out the door.

"Do your parents live in town?" I asked on the ride over, watching downtown fade in the rear view mirror.

"They own an apartment in town which they stay in most of the year, but spend the summer and holidays outside the city." He seemed to find it perfectly normal that they had two houses.

"Cool."

I found that Syaoran never listened to the radio in the car, and drove with the windows down when we left the city. It was very relaxing after I got over the awkward silence.

It was about a twenty minute drive to the Li's second home. My eyes drifted shut, taking in the crisp air and smell of grass.

The Li mansion arrived too soon. I was on the brink of asking Syaoran just to drive around the back roads for a while longer, but figured I shouldn't upset my future in-laws. He helped me out of the car gently.

"Try not to get too far away from me," Syaoran advised. "You'll get sucked into conversation with my sisters and we'll never leave." Just as we arrived, a heavy rain began to fall outside. It fit the mood.

"Welcome, Syaoran, Miss Kinomoto," Yelan said kindly, hugging both of us after our coats were put up. I admired the grand foyer with wide eyes.

Syaoran dragged me by the arm into the parlor, a large room with dark mahogany floors and crimson drapes, where dozens of people were already talking. Syaoran struck up a conversation with an old fat man as I watched and smiled.

The fat man left after a little friendly banter, and Syaoran sighed. "I never liked him."

"How long do we stay here?" I asked.

"Probably another half an hour until we eat. After that we can leave if you want to." He kissed my forehead affectionately, taking me by surprise. I saw two Li girls in the corner giggle. "Sorry."

"For what?"

"Ah, Syaoran, my boy!" An extremely obese man with a white beard came shuffling toward us. "Looking more like your father each time I see you!"

"Thank you, Mr. Wentworth," Syaoran laughed, shaking the man's fat hand. They started talking about business things and I tuned them out easily. The room was beautiful, looking like something out of a period movie. Although beyond extravagant and dripping with excess, it was well done.

"You too, sir," Syaoran smiled as the man walked away.

"Why are all these men fat?" I whispered to him. I was truly in a sea of obesity, watching them all waddle around.

He tightened his lips to prevent laughing. "I'm not really sure. I just hope I don't end up becoming one of them."

My mind reveled at a fat Syaoran.

Countless old men came to visit us, some bearing congratulations of our engagement (but most bearing congratulations of the company merge). My stomach grew hungrier and hungrier by the minute.

"Dinner's ready!" Yelan shouted from the doorway into the dining room. I elbowed my way through the throng of hobbits and we took our place beside Syaoran's parents.

"So, Sakura," Yelan said, "have you and Syaoran set a date yet?"

I coughed a little, but maintained my composure. "We haven't really discussed it-"

"January seventeenth!" a sister blurted. "It's all set!"

I nearly spit out my drink. "Hold on, _what_?"

"That's only two months," Syaoran whispered.

"I know, I know. But we didn't want you guys to wait like, a year."

"Yeah, that'd be terrible."

"Totally."

I wiped my mouth off and smiled. "Well, isn't that just... good."

"Thrilling," Syaoran agreed. "We were worried the planning would take longer than that. I mean, what a relief."

"We're glad you're so excited. I just hope you guys can wait that long," one sister smirked.

I grabbed Syaoran's white hand. "We want this wedding to be perfect. If that means waiting until January seventeenth, then that's a price we're willing to pay."

He smiled painfully.

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxx**

The ride home was silent, heavy rain keeping the windows up. Syaoran didn't protest when I fiddled with the radio, but after a few minutes of hopeless scanning I turned it off again.

We pulled into the parking lot of his building and ran full-speed to the door, but still got drenched in rain. Syaoran dug through his pockets for his wallet.

"Do you have my wallet?" he asked. I shook my head.

He cursed quietly and walked back out to the car. After a quick search, he sighed and walked to me under the balcony.

"I must've left it at my parents' house. You can sit in the lobby if you want to, I've got to run back and get it."

"Definitely not." Eyeing a creepy guy in the lobby warily, I followed Syaoran back out to the car. He turned up the heat and we set off the way we came.

The clock read 12:23. I sighed and curled into a ball.

The first time we drove to the Li's house it took us twenty minutes. This time it was closer to an hour; heavy rain and winding backroads and midnight don't mix well.

By the time we got back to the Li mansion, it was nearly two in the morning. Mr. Li answered the door in striped blue pajamas, looking extremely annoyed.

"Look, there it is," he sighed, pushing past his father and grabbing the stupid wallet. Yelan tumbled down the stairs still in her evening gown.

"What are you two doing here?" she asked. "I thought you left hours ago."

"I left my wallet," Syaoran said with a twinge of annoyance. "Sorry to wake you. We were just leaving."

"Oh, hush," she scolded. "You can't drive back in this weather! Besides, the both of you are about to fall asleep. Just stay the night."

Syaoran rolled his eyes and opened the door. "No thanks, mom."

I stopped him. "Wait. She's right. Can we please stay?"

He looked down at me curiously. "You sure?"

"Yes, please, I'm tired and freezing." I tugged him back inside. "Thank you so much, Mrs. Li."

She smiled. "Here, let me show you to the guest room. Xang, get them something to change into."

Old Li walked away begrudgingly. Yelan led us into one of many rooms on the second floor.

"Sorry it's only a queen," she said with embarrassment. "Not many of the beds are made in the house right now."

Syaoran nodded. "Thanks, mom."

"Xang! They're in here!" She waved down her husband quickly. "I'd lock the door if I were you. We're having a few friends stay the night as well."

Syaoran said nothing, folding down the sheets. I took the clothes from Mr. Li gratefully and slipped into the bathroom.

One bed. One _queen _bed. If it had been one of those huge beds that took up the entire room, I'd be okay. But queen beds implied snuggling. Snuggling did not sit well with me.

I slipped into what I assumed was one of the sisters' pajamas, rich blue satin pants and a black t-shirt. It was way nicer than anything I had. I also marveled at the stack of toothbrushes, still in the packaging, lined up on the counter. The Lis really knew how to treat their drunk guests.

Still freezing, I ran out of the bathroom and slid into the heavenly down feather covers. Syaoran was taking off his drenched socks, grimacing and throwing them in the corner. He too disappeared into the bathroom for a few minutes, coming out in a grey shirt and striped pants that matched his father's. He looked at me carefully.

"Would you like for me to find another place to sleep?" he asked. I knew he wasn't just being sarcastic and passive-aggressive, but truly wanted to know.

"It's fine," I said in a quiet voice. He lowered himself into bed cautiously. Each of us occupied the farthest side of the bed, leaving a three or four foot gap in between us.

"It is not fine," he corrected, pointing out my edge-hugging. "Nobody can fall asleep like that."

"Really? Because I've fit four people on a queen before and we slept just fine." He looked worried. "...When I was eight. Sleepover."

"Sakura, don't be stubborn."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not being stubborn. Here." I sprawled out on the bed, taking more than half of it. "Better?"

He sighed and sat back down, turning the side lamp off. "Good night," he said.

"Good night," I replied quietly, slithering back to my side of the bed.

**Xxxxxxxxxxxx**

For at least half an hour I contemplated opening my eyes, but I was just so _comfy._ Instead of getting up I snuggled into my pillow. It wasn't a very soft pillow, but it was exceptionally warm and smelled like fabric softener.

Suddenly my pillow moved. I shot up with a squeak, looking around frantically. My face reddened when I found my cozy pillow actually to be a chest. A chest belonging to Syaoran. He was still asleep, a hand outstretched where my arm had rested. I felt my face heat up.

I looked at the clock by my bed- 8:32. Should I wake him up? That would be awkward. I decided to get on _my_ side of the bed and go back to sleep until he woke up.

However, sleep wasn't coming willingly, and I sat wide-eyed for another half an hour before getting up. After brushing my teeth and running my fingers through my hair, I didn't really know what else to do.

When I tip-toed back into the bedroom, I saw a note hastily scribbled on Syaoran's side of the bed. It was from his mother, asking him to wrangle out all the hungover business partners.

Without a second thought I set off in search of the kitchen. My ring had miraculously stayed on my finger through the night; I twirled it nervously as I padded around the mansion feeling like a stray puppy. On the way to the kitchen I encountered a couple of less than enthusiastic guests who had stayed the night, apparently on the same quest as I was.

Finally I found the glorious kitchen, decked out in state-of-the-art appliances and granite countertops. The immense pantry was stocked full, and with happy hands I grabbed the box of Captain Crunch.

I felt awkward standing in the kitchen alone. Curiously I walked around the first floor of the house, holding my cereal and eating it as I walked. So many questions flooded into my mind as I examined each room. Had Syaoran grown up here? Did the sisters still live with their parents? Or did they share one giant, girly apartment somewhere? How many bathrooms can a house _have_?

I counted eight on the first floor. _Disgusting money hoarders, _I thought to myself. Having finished my breakfast I made my way back to the kitchen and set my empty bowl in the sink. It was a little after noon, and I figured waking my fiancee up would be a good idea.

The door was still cracked from when I left. I slipped inside to find him staring at the ceiling.

"Good morning," I said quietly, closing the door behind me.

He looked over at me and smiled. "Good morning."

"How did you sleep?" I examined the purple dress that hung over a chair in the corner. It was completely ruined from the rain. I couldn't help but feel guilty.

"Very well." He walked to the window and opened the curtains. "What time is it?"

"Around nine." Syaoran scanned Yelan's note quickly and sighed.

"Well, I have some things to take care of... Do you mind staying here for a little while?"

"Sure." He quickly made his way out the door, calling out something in Chinese. A faint woman's voice answered him angrily.

I was restless and highly agitated, partly since I would be married in sixty short days. So close to my impending _doom_-

A knock on the door surprised me. The woman looking at me (perhaps _glaring_ would be a better term) was obviously related to Syaoran, but I couldn't place a name.

"Hello," she said coldly. "Is Syaoran in here?"

I shook my head. "Do you need something?"

She stared at me for a moment before answering. "Nothing you can help with." I expected her to leave, but she continued to look at me. We stood in silence for a while.

"Are you Syaoran's sister?"

"Oh, Lord, no," she scoffed. "I'm his cousin. And who he should rightfully be marrying."

So that's what the glare was all about. "Oh?"

"So I'm going to leave now." With a fraction of a bow, Syaoran's cousin closed the door and left me alone.

My first inclination was to go back to sleep. Just as I hit the mattress, the door opened again.

"Okay, do you want to tell me what's going on?" the girl asked angrily. "I'm not buying this... _love_ thing."

I put on a baffled face. "What?"

The woman looked furious as she approached me. "Do _not_," she seethed, "play with me. You can manipulate those brain-dead hopeless romantics all you want, but you can't do the same with me."

"Can I at least get your name?" I whispered.

She glared and sat down in a chair beside the bed. "Mei Ling."

"...Nice to meet you."

"We've already met."

Silence followed. I was obviously expected to tell her "what was going on."

"...Your uncle refused to merge with my uncle's company without a legal marriage. But we... uh..."

She stared blankly. "That's not the end, is it?"

"It just sounds really dumb when I say it out loud."

"What, the Li sisters have to be convinced that you're in love or else they won't let you get married? Darling, much stranger things have happened in this family."

"How did you know?"

She smiled darkly. "I figured. I just wanted to hear it from Syaoran. But I guess you'll do." She was wearing pajamas identical to mine, except in a faint lavender color. I had to wonder how much money the Lis actually had. The thought made me sad.

"So when's the big day?" she asked.

"Two months," I said abysmally. The thought quickened my heart and sent a cold shiver down my spine.

"Don't count on that," she said with a smile. "Uncle likes to do business fast."

I shook my head. "The sisters already picked the date."

"Aww, you're adorable." She leaned toward me. "He won't give you more than a month."

"But I-"

"Listen," Mei Ling said in a low voice. "You've got a really nice deal out in front of you. A guy like Syaoran is _way_ out of your league, and he's just being handed to you like a free prize. I'd be happy if I were you." She smiled. "But I guess I'm not."

Mei Ling got up out of the chair and walked to the door. "I just thought you should know that he's sacrificing just as much as you are, and probably more." She paused for a moment, looking into my eyes with remorse. "And some people actually want him."

I watched as she closed the door and left me alone once again. Her words made me feel strangely guilty for trying to help my uncle. I mean, it's not like I asked to marry the guy.

But I guess that's the point she was trying to make.

I rolled onto my stomach and groaned. Sitting around and thinking about things was never a good idea. Instead I got up and began exploring the giant house. How did they even keep it clean? I mean, there's only so much your two dozen servants can do.

The entire mansion could have been an addition to Versailles; every inch of every thing was plastered in gold or silver. Dark mahogany floors filled the hallways, but of course had giant animal skin rugs to keep my bare feet warm. I felt less like I was in a house and more like I was in some tribute to Louis XIV.

It was cold throughout the house. I hugged my arms to my chest tightly even though that really doesn't do anything. I hated being cold. And it wasn't even really cold, just cool enough that I needed a jacket in order to be comfortable. That was the worst feeling.

The next room I passed was one of the many entertainment rooms. It was equipped with a giant flatscreen tv that had probably never been turned on. On one of the chairs was a dark gray chenille blanket; I grabbed it happily and wrapped it around my shoulders. _Soft_. I guess there were benefits to being a Li.

Tired of looking at expensive things, I plopped down on the brown leather couch and turned on the tv. Some reality show was on, filming a bunch of people in a club dancing. So this was entertainment.

"You look comfy." a familiar voice called from behind me. I smiled as Syaoran joined me on the couch, snuggling into the other half of my blanket. "Jersey Shore?"

I shrugged and handed him the remote. "You can change it."

He flipped through the channels absentmindedly. After a couple dozen channels, I saw Yamazaki talking about some celebrity that had passed out in the middle of the street.

"But in much more exciting news, we have talk about the wedding between Li Syaoran and Kinomoto Sakura. Fei?"

Fei smiled back energetically. "Oh, this is great. Last night I got the chance to sit down with Li Xeo Fan, Syaoran's little sister. Here's what she said."

The shot switched to the sister's grinning face. "Yes, it's super exciting. Syaoran and Sakura are so in love. It's crazy romantic."

"So," Fei said with a smile, "Do we have any news about the big day?"

She laughed giddily. "Well, my sisters and I are obviously planning the wedding. Syaoran _begged_ us to move the date up, but I was like, no way! We have to plan the most romantic wedding ever-"

I looked over at Syaoran with an expectant glare. "You what now?"

His mouth was half-open, either frozen in astonishment or grappling for words. I waited patiently for an answer.

"..." He let out his breath, looking away from me.

I turned my eyes back to the tv, still glaring. Syaoran sunk into his seat guiltily.

"-the seventeenth. It's going to be _crazy_ romantic. Like, for real."

Fei smiled again. "Well, there you have it. Only two months until the big day! Maybe the couple will move past the 'holding hands' phase, huh?" With a wink, Fei was replaced with a car commercial.

Syaoran squirmed beside me. I looked straight ahead.

"Okay, I don't think you understand the situation," he said with desperation in his voice.

I turned my head to meet his pleading eyes. "Then perhaps you should explain it."

He looked down slowly with a thoughtful expression. I began to get up before he stopped me. "Okay, fine." Sinking back into the couch, Syaoran ran a hand through his hair. "But I doubt you're going to like what you hear."

I raised my eyebrows expectantly.

"I..." He sighed heavily. "My father... privately announced his retirement last week. He offered me the company."

I nodded slowly. "Relevant information."

He shot me an exasperated look. "You can hold off on the sarcasm. It's not very becoming."

We exchanged glares, and he continued. "The one thing he of asked me was to merge the companies before his retirement."

I stared at him for a moment. "So you want to move the wedding up so you get the company sooner?"

He rolled his eyes. "This isn't- I..." Syaoran muttered thoughtfully. "Well, at any rate, I'm sorry. It's done, and my sisters wouldn't dare move it up now."

I sighed. "Well, we have two months. Two horrible months..."

"Oh come on, it's not that bad," he smiled. "Getting to hang out with you all the time... it's really nice. I'm happy I met you, despite the circumstances." As I looked up at him, it was impossible not to see the genuine feeling behind the words. My heart kind of stuttered.

"Syaoran," I marveled, trying to think of something to say back to him. But he just smiled and offered a hand to help me up.

"Let's get out of here." He led the way to the front door, where the sisters wished us safe travels. I hopped into Syaoran's car with relief.

"At least it stopped raining," I mused as we pulled out of the driveway.

He sighed and rolled down the windows halfway. "We have to unpack your stuff today."

I grimaced at the thought. Manual labor was nowhere near the top of my list of things that I wanted to do. "We don't _have_ to."

Syaoran rolled his eyes as he was merging onto the highway. "You're not leaving those boxes in my living room."

"First of all, it's _our_ living room." I opened the sun roof and breathed in the crisp humid air. "Second of all, I can do what I want."

"Can you now?"

"Yeah. As long as you're cool with it."

He raised an eyebrow but said nothing. I leaned my head out the window, soaking up the gorgeous weather.

**Xxxxxxxxxxxx**


	4. Chapter 4

**Xxxxxxxxxxxx**

The next week went by in a blur. For the first time, Syaoran and I were genuinely happy being around each other. We were willingly interrogated by dozens of enthusiastic journalists, going on about our overwhelming love for each other. It was entertaining (in a morbid, masochistic way).

"Oh, I'm just so _happy_," I exclaimed, taking Syaoran's hand in mine. "I mean, it's a dream come true."

He laughed. "Oh, darling."

The (attractive) reporter smiled. "Well, you two have taken a huge step in your relationship. How does it feel to be engaged after only eight months?"

Syaoran scoffed. "Only eight months? I feel like I've known her my entire life." He looked into my eyes passionately.

I bit my lip to keep from laughing. "It's a dream come true."

After shaking hands, the reporter stepped into the elevator and left the two of us alone in the apartment. Syaoran smirked at me.

"What?" I asked innocently.

"You liked him, didn't you?" Our hands untangled, but we still sat beside each other on the loveseat.

I tried to look taken aback. "Pfft. Whaaat?"

He sighed and walked to the kitchen. "I should be offended."

"Oh, and why is that?"

"Because," he said sternly, "I'm your fiancee."

"You don't count," I retorted. "And it's not wrong to _look_ at him."

Syaoran shook his head skeptically, rummaging through the refrigerator. I rolled my eyes and turned the TV on.

Syaoran sat down beside me, handing me a bowl of cereal. I thanked him as he shrugged an arm around my waist and ignored the faint smile that crept onto my lips.

"It's too early for this on a Saturday," he sighed, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. While he wasn't looking, I examined him out of the corner of my eye. His chest rose and fell gently. One hand was wrapped around a mug full of coffee; the other rested perfectly still on my waist. Before making completely sure his eyes were closed, I turned my head to examine his face. What was he doing, nestling into me like this? It must be unconscious.

Suddenly his eyes opened. "What?" he asked groggily, looking first at me (with wide, innocent eyes) and then the clock. "Oh, I need to get going. Sorry," he said hastily while retracting his hand, spilling coffee all over his leg (accompanied by the faintest of curses) and leaving me to sit on the couch by myself.

"Get it together, babe," I shouted over my shoulder.

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

I stood fuming at my doorstep- or rather, my old doorstep- trying to hide under the tiny awning as rain poured down in sheets. My clothes were soaked and I was chilled to the bone; the fact that Tomoyo was taking a million years to answer the door wasn't helping my mood.

Finally the door opened. "Ugh, you're all wet," she groaned.

"It's _raining._" I pushed past her inside, throwing off my coat and boots. "And thanks, by the way, for the wait. You killed my mood."

Tomoyo grinned slyly. "Yeah, you've been mysteriously chipper since last week. Is there something going on there?" She poured me a cup of coffee with a raised eyebrow.

I glared, but my cheeks flushed. "No way. Syaoran and I are just... getting used to each other, I guess." I leaned against the counter thoughtfully. "I think we're actually becoming friends."

"With public benefits," Tomyo added, though she looked at me sympathetically.

I sighed and accepted the mug of coffee.

She smiled and guided me back to her studio. "Now onto my problems." A large, mountainous supply of white tulle occupied the majority of the room.

I scoffed. "Do you really need that much?"

Tomoyo took a dramatic sigh and fell back into the pile. "I have so many ideas, and so little of you. I need you to try on some of these dresses."

I followed her gaze to an entire rack of wedding dresses sitting in the corner. "Oh, Tomoyo," I sighed warily. "Is this why you invited me over? I don't want to-"

"No. I _need_ you to do this. I have two months. _Two months_," she seethed. "I don't think you understand the burden that's been put on me."

I took a deep breath before answering her. "You have an hour."

She smiled.

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

I flung another dress to the ground and shot a glare at Tomoyo. "No more."

She picked it up and sighed, brushing it off gently. "But you look so _pretty_ in them."

My feet ached horribly. "And why do I have to wear heels if the dress covers my feet?" Said shoes were kicked into the corner angrily. "You're exhausting me."

"Oh come on! That only took four hours! Well, four and a half. But rounded down..."

Choosing to ignore Tomoyo, I dragged myself to my old bedroom and collapsed on the unmoved bedspread. It surprised me that she hadn't converted the room into a tulle storage space.

After throwing on an old pair of sweatpants, I walked downstairs to find Tomoyo laughing in the living room with _Takashi_.

Tomoyo locked eyes with me as Takashi took an empty plate to the kitchen. "_Change_," she seethed.

I shot her a furious look before shooting back up the stairs and shutting the door firmly behind me. My heart was beating unreasonably fast, and my palms were suddenly sweaty. Speaking of sweat- my pants- "Oh, these will not do," I groaned, removing my sweatpants in a swift motion and looking around the room frantically for presentable attire.

Putting on makeup was a wise choice, I decided, as I raked my hands through my hair (does that make it look nicer? Hopefully) and threw on some burgundy jeans and a light denim shirt. Finally ready, I walked downstairs as gracefully as my body would allow.

"Takashi?" I said as innocently as possible, gliding into the living room on a cloud of estrogen. He looked up from the couch and smiled warmly.

"Sakura, so great to see you!" he grinned, getting up to give me a nice, warm, muscular hug. When he motioned for me to sit next to him, I didn't turn him down. Tomoyo shot me a very impressed look from the loveseat.

"So, Takashi, what brings you to this side of town?" Tomoyo asked. He shrugged slightly and looked back at me.

"I don't know. Just in the mood to visit," he said warmly while Tomoyo smiled and excused herself to make some tea.

While we were alone, Takashi turned to me with a worried expression. "Sakura, I'm sorry if this is strange or unexpected. I just felt bad for not calling after I said I would..." He ran a hand through his rain-soaked hair and sighed. "Truthfully I was just afraid that you would be with Syaoran if I called, and I know he said he was okay with it, but I just didn't know..." After looking into his lap for a moment, he sighed. "What I'm trying to say is, would you like to get lunch?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tomoyo backpedal into the kitchen with two cups of tea in her hands. I quickly turned my eyes back to him and smiled. "That would be wonderful."

"Great," he replied happily. "I don't know if you're hungry now, or if you and Tomoyo made plans-"

"No plans!" Tomoyo shouted from the kitchen. The sound of tea being poured down the sink was faint in the background as Takashi smiled at me obliviously.

"Well then it's settled," I beamed. "Let me grab my jacket."

Taking the route through the kitchen where Tomoyo and I did a silent fist-bump-explosion, I grabbed my jacket (avoiding the jacket from Syaoran I borrowed weeks ago) and followed Takashi out to his car.

"One of my good friends owns a place not too far from here, and I know he'll be very discreet about this whole thing," Takashi reassured as we headed to lunch. "He's actually Syaoran's old roommate from college."

"Oh really?" I laughed. "I thought Syaoran would've just lived in his fancy apartment or something during college."

"No way. Paid his whole way through college off scholarships and a terrible job. His dad didn't give him any money, said it would make him a better person or some sh- thing." He rolled his eyes and shrugged.

"...So I'm guessing you don't agree with that?"

"I'm just saying, Syaoran's the most honest kid I've ever met. Wouldn't even let me write his paper when he got the flu for a week. He doesn't really need that kind of- uh... discipline."

"I'm an adult, you know," I said, almost offended. "Don't feel like you have to censor yourself."

"Nah, but you're a lady. That's another thing Syaoran taught me. You're actually supposed to act respectable in front of women, or so I've heard," he winked. I smiled back, enjoying the way his face lit up when he talked.

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

As we entered the restaurant, I felt my pulse quicken. What if Syaoran was here? What if paparazzi were waiting in the bushes?

"Relax," Takashi grinned, taking my waist reassuringly. "Nobody's going to be spying. And we're really not doing anything wrong... just an interview." With a quick squeeze he dropped his hand and approached the front desk.

"Hey, Dan, is Eriol here?" he said smoothly. Everything about him kind of radiated _swag_, I thought to myself, and not in that awkward Justin Bieber kind of way. Like in a "this guy would be the last person to die in a zombie apocalypse" kind of way.

"This is nice," I smiled, appreciating the cozy atmosphere around us. Takashi returned my expression.

"I'm happy you like it."

A familiar-looking man approached the table and smiled. "Man, when are you going to let me do my job?"

Takashi laughed and stood up to man-hug the familiar guy. "Sakura, this is Eriol."

"Have we met...?" I asked cautiously.

"I think we were introduced at some point. But nevertheless, it's a pleasure to formally meet you." I shook his hand as he smiled. "What do you guys want?"

"Surprise me," Takashi smiled. "And not in a bad way." We handed our menus to Eriol as I shrugged and asked for the same thing, and soon enough we were left on our own.

"So-" I began before my phone went off. Syaoran texted me. "_Where are you?_"

"_At lunch_" I replied quickly before returning my attention to Takashi. "As I was saying- are you kidding me? What, Syaoran?" I seethed into the phone as I stood up and walked into the back to take the call, quickly flashing an apologetic expression to my date.

"Sakura?" he said nervously.

"Yeah," I said, slightly less annoyed. "What is it?"

"Can I meet you wherever you are? I have to talk to you about something."

"That's the beauty of technology, Syaoran," I sighed as I paced beside the kitchen. "We're talking right now."

"Sakura come on, it's important," he breathed. My frustration dissipated as he pleaded with me. "I wouldn't ask you if it weren't important."

"I know, Syaoran," I said calmly. "But I'm..." Running a hand through my hair, I sighed again. "Alright, where do you want to meet?"

He let out a breath of relief. "Just come to the office whenever you can. Thank you."

"Alright, I'll be there soon," I groaned, hanging up on him and shamefully walking back to the table.

"Hey, Takashi..."

He grinned. "What's up?"

"Syaoran needs me to meet him as soon as possible, says it's really important..." I mumbled into my lap.

"You need a ride?"

"I'm so sorry," I sighed apologetically as he stood up from the table and grabbed his keys. "I'll make it up to you whenever I get the chance-"

"Hey," he smiled, grabbing my hand to pull me up from my seat. "Don't worry about it, okay?"

Despite it all, I smiled back at him. "Okay."

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"What is the big emergency?" I shouted at Syaoran as I clambered out of Takashi's car in the pouring rain. I waved quickly at him as he pulled away and left Syaoran looking even more clueless.

"Who was that?" he asked almost angrily. His chest puffed up in some kind of territorial assertion. Despite the seriousness of the situation, I couldn't help but think of him as a puppy trying to scare off someone at the door. Hiding back a smile, I pushed my wet hair out of my face and shook my head.

"Don't worry about it. What did you want to see me about?"

"Sakura, who were you with? Was that..." he squinted, as if he could still see the car five blocks away. "Was that Takashi?"

My face flushed. "Yeah, uh... yeah. What were you going to tell me?"

His brow furrowed even harder. "What..." Suddenly his face fell. I stared at him in frustrated silence for a while.

"Syaoran-"

"You know what, it's nothing," he said quietly. "I'm sorry to interrupt," he sighed, gesturing half-heartedly to the street. It always broke my heart when he said things like this. It made it so much worse to see the expression on his face drop, his shoulders sink down, the flicker of comfort in his eyes drain out.

"Seriously, I'm already here, what's going on?" I stepped under the tiny awning beside him, reaching out to touch his arm softly. He was very tense, taking shallow breaths with rigid composure. "Please calm down. It's going to be alright, whatever it is."

"Syaoran," I said as quietly as I could without the rain drowning my voice out (drowning, rain... _hahaha_).

He un-furrowed his brow slightly and let out a deep sigh. "Listen, I know this is going to be difficult to hear-"

"Please just tell me and stop worrying so much," I said gently.

He took a moment to compose himself. "It's Hannah," he said softly and carefully, as if preparing me for a death in the family. "She's threatening to... tell the press about our relationship."

Anger flooded into my chest. "Are you _kidding_ me? This bitch will not stop-"

"Don't you _dare_ call her that!" he shouted.

We stood fuming at each other for several moments. His chest rose and fell irregularly, indignation painted on his face as I balled my hands into fists.

"Imagine how she feels," he said with as much composure as he could possibly manage. "Sakura, I was going to propose to her the week that I met you. We were going to spend the rest of our lives together..." his voice faltered. "And no offense, because I know it's got nothing to do with you, but all of a sudden I tell her that we can't be together anymore. And not only that, but I have to marry someone else, and she has to watch it all happen. And I bring another woman into my life and say we've been dating for eight months. I mean, she trusts me, and I've told her the truth... but_ Sakura_," he breathed. "That's not easy."

I said nothing.

"Besides, you didn't let me finish." He ran a hand through his hair. "She asked to meet you. I refused her... and that's why she's threatening. She's going to the press if I don't allow her to see you."

I frowned. "Syaoran, why is that such a bad thing? Let her see me." _I will give her a piece. of. my. mind._

His eyes fell to the ground as he thought carefully. "Sakura, I need us to be completely honest right now."

"...Okay?"

"She wants to make sure that this really is strictly professional. That I haven't been cheating on her. That is, if we're even... I mean, that we haven't been together for so long behind her back." He looked back up at me cautiously. "You can imagine why she would want to know that. It would be even worse if this were all real."

My face flushed. "What do you mean? She just wants to make sure we're not actually going out?"

"Sakura, please be truthful." He took a deep breath and brought his eyes to meet mine. "Do you perceive our relationship to be completely professional?" he asked with quiet, penetrating composure.

I looked straight into his eyes, looking for something to tell me what I was supposed to say. He had almost convinced me that he was unbiased... but the longer I hesitated, the more his eyes seemed to widen just slightly, the more he seemed to lean toward me in anxious anticipation. It was almost surreal; could I even answer that question? Did _I_ even know the answer?

"...Of course."

It seemed as though at once, all the life seemed to leave him. "Well, good then," he said quickly. "I'll get my keys."

"Alright," I whispered to myself as he ducked back into the building and left me alone under the awning.

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

After a long, silent drive, we finally arrived at home. Syaoran immediately set off cleaning the entire apartment, starting with the kitchen. "Hannah said she'd be over around 8," he said almost to himself, "so we have about twenty minutes."

I nodded and went to my room, closing the door firmly behind me. My reflection stared blankly at me in the mirror. Should I leave my hair and makeup done? I don't want to present myself as a challenge. But if I take it off, will she think I don't take her seriously enough...?

"Stupid Hannah," I thought to myself as I took off my clothes and called Tomoyo.

Soon enough twenty minutes had gone by. Syaoran burst into my room to find my entire closet strewn around my room, wearing nothing but a bra and unbuttoned jeans, hands trying to pin up my hair in an unoffensive manner.

"_Syaoran!_" I screamed. "Get out!"

"She's here," he panicked. "Why are you half naked?"

"Well maybe if you _gave_ me a second I could put some clothes on-"

"You've had twenty minutes, Sakura, for heaven's sake-" Syaoran chastised, examining my floor and grabbing a green blouse beside his feet. "Put this on. And button your pants," he said exasperatedly.

I frowned at him as he stared impatiently. "Turn around," I growled.

Suddenly returning his senses, Syaoran flushed and turned his face to the door. I quickly made myself presentable.

"Okay, let's go."

He ran his hands through his hair anxiously and opened the door of my room. I followed him skeptically into the living room, already sensing the tension in the air. As I turned the corner, I found a beautiful porcelain-skinned woman sitting rigidly on our- on _his_- couch.

Her hair was a dark brown color, almost chocolate, that fell in delicate waves past her shoulders. I was stunned most, though, by her piercing-murder-dagger blue eyes and almost wet myself.

It took all my willpower not to recoil into the closet behind me as Syaoran stepped forward to take a seat on the couch. I followed him carefully, finding myself far too close to the woman who wanted to _kill me_.

"Hannah, this is Sakura," Syaoran said lightly. What an interesting concept, I pondered. Li Syaoran, master of stress and pressure, affectionately titled Never-Loses-His-Cool-Li, was almost literally cowering in fear and sweating daggers in the presence of his past and present girlfriends. Well... two girls, at least.

"Hello, Sakura," Hannah said flatly. I smiled as naturally as I could (which, if we're being completely honest here, was not in any way natural).

After a couple awkward seconds of one of us giving and the other receiving death glares, Hannah sighed. "Syaroan, could you get some tea?"

"OFCOURSE-" he shouted as he sprang up from his seat and dashed into the kitchen more quickly than I'd ever seen him move in my entire life.

_And then there were two_

"It's nice to actually meet you in person," she said quietly.

"Yeah," I said confidently without sweat dripping off my forehead and my heart rate not twice its usual speed (sarcasm is a coping mechanism). "Syaoran's always said such wonderful things about you."

"I'm sure of it," she said in a way that made me think that she wasn't at all sure of it.

I coughed and smiled awkwardly. She did not return it.

"Sakura, I'll be completely honest," Hannah said with rigid composure, "I don't want to be here with you at all. You make me extremely uncomfortable, so I'm going to try to make the time we spend together as efficient as possible. Will you cooperate?"

It took all my willpower to keep myself from getting out my brass knuckles and having Syaoran hold my earrings. Instead I balled my delicately placed hands into calm fists and took a deep breath before replying "Of course."

She raised a beautiful eyebrow, but said nothing.

I tried to smile. "What is it that you would like to know?"

Hannah gazed down at her shoes. "I know that Syaoran is an honorable man, but even someone like him could be pressured into deception under the right circumstances. I need to know if he's telling the truth about your real relationship. When did you meet?"

"We honestly met the day he came to my uncle's company to discuss the idea of the company merge. That was the first time I ever talked to him."

She gave me a knowing look, as if she thought I was lying. "Sakura, this will be so much easier if you don't treat this like another one of your little interviews. Please don't be difficult."

I bit my lip before replying. "In what way am I being difficult?" I asked with a hint of hidden malice in my voice.

"Look," she said lowly as she leaned in toward me, her plastic smile evaporating from her face. "I know that you're lying to me. Syaoran was staying late at work almost every night, avoiding questions I asked him about our relationship, tell-tale signs of a guilty cheater. He's a man of honor," she said with daggers in her voice, "and only a whore could-"

"_Excuse me?_" I spat, blood rushing to my face. "You have some nerve, forcing yourself into our home and accusing me of adultery-"

"It's not _your home!_" She shouted. "You have no right to any of this! Syaoran doesn't even want you here, you're nothing but a nuisance-"

"Who do you think you _are?!-_" I seethed as I kicked my chair away from me and stood up to face her. Just before my hands could rip into her emerald blazer, Syaoran darted in front of me (and in the process, spilled scalding hot tea all over me. My ridiculous estrogen-fueled rage barely noticed as he restrained me and turned to face Hannah.

"Please leave," he said rigidly. Hannah locked eyes with him, then walked to the elevator without a word. When the door closed behind her, Syaoran turned back to me and sighed.

"Are you all right? I'm so sorry," he fussed, dragging me over to the sink and lifting up my shirt where the tea had burned my skin. My heart was still pounding in my chest too fast to think straight. "Here- lift your arms-"

"What did I do?" I muttered while he tossed my wet shirt to the floor.

Syaoran's eyes weakened as he looked down at me. "What do you mean, Sakura?" he asked softly, pressing a cold towel against my bare skin.

I looked away from him as my throat began to tighten and tears spilled down my face. "Why does she hate me so much?" I choked out.

Syaoran left out a soft sigh as he wrapped his arms around me. "She doesn't hate you," he murmured into my hair as I whimpered pathetically on his chest. "Don't worry about it."

"No, she's right," I managed to say in between sobs. "This is your apartment, I shouldn't be here..."

"Hey," he sighed. "Don't say that. You have every right to be here. I asked you to stay here, remember? Shh," he whispered softly. "Don't..."

After he pushed the hair out of my face, Syaoran kissed my forehead gently. We stood like that for a lingering moment, long enough for me to sink my head into his chest and get all the crying out of my system. Finally he took a step back and looked at me warily.

"Don't believe a word she said. None of it is true. Okay?"

I wiped my face and nodded.

"Go get ready for bed. My door's always open."

I nodded and stepped past him to get back to my room. As I grew more conscious of what just happened, it finally dawned on me that _I was shirtless_ and that was definitely not a platonic moment.

My favorite sleep shirt, Touya's old soccer warmup jersey, covered my naked, scalded body as I threw on some shorts and washed my face. I crawled onto my bed and almost lifted the covers, but it felt cold and empty. After being shaken up by Hannah, I didn't want to be alone. So I threw my hair up in a messy bun and shuffled over to Syaoran's room, knocking softly on the door.

"Yeah," came his muffled voice through the wood. I opened it to find him brushing his teeth in the adjacent bathroom, right in the middle of putting a shirt on. He gestured for me over to the bed and began rinsing his mouth out. I cautiously sat on his bed criss-crossed and leaned back on his soft pillows.

He approached the bed silently, but not before turning on a soft album in the background. As he slid next to me, I began to wonder just _what_ part of me thought this would be a good idea.

"Are you all right?" he asked with concern in his voice. "I had no idea she would be like that..."

"I'm fine," I whispered. "Thanks."

He turned to face me. "You won't have to talk to her again. I don't want either of you hurt."

"No, it's fine," I said quietly, my eyes weighing down with sleep. I curled up into a ball that somehow fit perfectly by his side.

"You know that what she said wasn't true," Syaoran muttered as I cushioned myself on his rising and falling chest. "I want you to be here."

I wasn't sure if I dreamed of his hands slowly running through my hair, or him kissing me gently on the temple.

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

When I woke up, I found myself in the same position that I fell asleep in. There Syaoran was, with his arm wrapped around me like I was a small kitten. I was mortified.

I rolled away from Syaoran quickly and checked the time. Normally he was up way before I was. It wasn't that much later than when I normally got up on a Saturday... Syaoran, however, should've been up for about 3 hours already.

Sprawled on all fours, I tried nudging him to help awaken him from his deep slumber. He let out a deep groan and swatted my hand away.

It was rare that my fiancee slept in, so I decided not to pester him further. Instead, waffles.

I had never been revered for my baking skills, but not many people can screw up waffles. Such a wonderful breakfast item is simple, I reassured myself, as I got out the ingredients. _A piece of cake- or rather, a piece of waffle_, I thought inwardly, then laughed because I am hilarious.

I sighed while pouring batter into the waffle mold. This was gray-area fake-fiancee territory. I mean sure, we're not ever going to be _getting down_, but what's the harm in being cuddle buddies? Syaoran doesn't like sleeping alone, I like having a giant warm pillow that smells nice... it seems like a pretty sweet deal for both of us.

So if it was that easy, why was my stomach in knots?

_We didn't do anything_, I assured myself. _There's nothing wrong with sleeping together- I mean technically we're engaged, so we could really do anything we wanted to..._

For the next half hour I tried to reassure myself that nothing was funky about last night, but nevertheless when Syaoran emerged from his room my face became a light shade of pink.

"Good morning," he said with a well-rested smile. I returned it and switched my undivided attention to the waffles.

"Good morning," I muttered as I handed him a plate.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Syaoran staring at me like a serial killer. I tried to focus on my waffles, thinking he would leave me alone. I was definitely wrong. Finally he bugged me enough that I threw my spatula down on the counter in frustration and whipped my head around to face him. "Will you _stop_ staring at me? Either kidnap me or get out already."

His eyes were far from murderous, however; inside them were deep pools of amber looking very, very sad.

"Sakura," he said barely above a whisper. "We can't just act like last night never happened. Do you need to talk about anything?"

I felt my heartbeat increase as my eyes became shifty (sufficiently worse than those glue-on googly eyes). "Uh- ha- whatareyoutalkingaboutIhavenoideawhatyoumean" I sputtered out while unconsciously staring at his chest.

He furrowed his brow. "You don't have to be like that, Sakura. Hannah said some awful things and I legitimately want to know if you're alright." Slowly Syaoran approached me, like he was trying to get a wild deer to eat out of his hand. Without a word he cupped my hands in his and stared at me with those cavernous eyes.

There was something about his hands that put me completely at peace with myself- any nervous or anxious thoughts could wait. The corners of my mouth creeped up as he stood thoughtfully in front of me, reading me like an open book.

"I'm fine, Syaoran," I sighed, acknowledging the fact that behind me two waffles were burning mercilessly on the stovetop. I couldn't really bring myself to pull away from his anchoring grip. "Seriously, most guys can't seem to figure out women's emotions, and you seem to know more about mine than I do. I didn't think I was upset, but maybe you're right." As much as I tried to lace my words with sarcasm, they all came out soft and airy like a puffy cloud.

Syaoran smiled. "I'm just looking out for you. Can't have my fiancee..." he stopped, his smile fading but his eyes remaining locked on mine. "I need to look out for the people that I care about." His fingers thoughtlessly brushed a hand through my hair and rested on the back of my neck.

So much of me wanted to pull him down to me and kiss him, softly and delicately like I knew he would. Everything about him was so familiar that it _hurt_ to not feel him. A part of me began questioning just what would be so bad about taking one teensy step forward, and placing my hand on his chest and leaning in. It felt like coming to the last page of a book and putting it back on the shelf, never to be read.

I mean really, what would be so wrong?

The smell of burning waffles finally forced me to break from his gaze, turning off the stove and in turn dropping whatever moment we just had. Behind me I heard the faintest of sighs before Syaoran retreated back to the other side of the kitchen.

**Xxxxxxxxxxxx**

"Aaaaaand..." Tomoyo wrapped the last curl with precision, letting it out after a few long seconds. "Done!"

I sighed in relief; we had finished just in time. "Tomoyo, you saved my life."

She grinned smugly. "Go, cavort with your fiancee." After a quick hug, Tomoyo shooed me out of the bathroom. I grabbed my bag and went into the main room to meet Syaoran.

Syaoran was watching the news, as usual. You'd think he would get tired of it. "Hey, are you ready?"

He looked up from the TV and smiled. He was wearing a dark gray suit with the jacket draped across the couch behind him, exposing a white shirt, black tie, dark gray vest, and the most beautiful swan of a man that I had ever seen.

"Yes, you'll make an excellent trophy wife," he muttered to himself, walking toward me and examining me closely with a grin.

I rolled my eyes, but the proximity of Syaoran's person and the aroma that he gave off may have altered the intensity of my sarcasm.

I followed him into the elevator and sighed heavily. At least I was allowed to fawn over him and act extremely awkward in public.

When I stepped out of the lobby, I was greeted with a thick, white blanket covering everything around me. My face immediately contorted into a grin.

"Syaoran! Look! It's snowing!" I ran into the middle of the parking lot and twirled around carelessly. Snow is _awesome._

He laughed and watched me frolic in the middle of the parking lot, now covered by at least half a foot of snow. Although my feet were about to turn to ice, I was ecstatic.

"Can we get in the car now?" he asked when my teeth began to chatter incessantly. I reluctantly nodded, vowing to play in the snow later even if I did get frostbite.

Syaoran cranked the heater up and put it on my half-barren feet (Tomoyo insisted that I wear silver peep-toe pumps, which were now encrusted with snow). I accepted his jacket gratefully.

"Do you like Christmas?" I asked him amid the silence of the car. He pulled out onto the highway and made a thoughtful face.

"Well, my family tends to get along fairly well during the holidays. I think it's because we tend to focus on each other rather than getting tons of gifts." He paused. "Although we still get tons of gifts. We're just used to the material stuff, and not as much the getting along part."

I nodded, looking back at the road. The rest of the trip was relatively quiet. I felt cozy snuggled up in his jacket, and I was the opposite of happy when we finally arrived.

"Let's just sit out here," I offered. "It's warm."

Syaoran looked like he was about to take me up on my offer, but rolled his eyes and got out of the car. I followed him reluctantly; the snow was thicker in the country, so high that my door scraped the top of it.

"It's so _cold_," I complained to Syaoran.

He glared at me. "It's not like you have a jacket or anything."

"It's not like you have _pants on or anything_," I seethed back, pounding on the door.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHH!" a sister screamed, throwing open the door and jumping up and down. "THEY'RE HEEEREEE!"

I rushed inside and took a deep breath of warm air. Syaoran followed me, the calves of his pants soaked from the snow. I felt a slight twinge of sympathy, but it was overwhelmed by the un-slight twinge of how cold _I _was.

"Are you all right?" Syaoran asked me the second time that night, laying a hand on my freezing shoulder. "You're shaking."

I nodded, handing Syaoran's jacket off to the doorman. He wrapped an arm around my waist before we walked to the dining hall.

Yelan, I noticed, had already decorated for Christmas. A huge, 12-foot Spruce tree stood in the corner of the room. The whole room smelled like spice. I nearly rolled my eyes at the sight of a string quartet playing beside the tree.

Hints of Christmas were all over the room, from the crimson-red velvet curtains to the new green tablecloth that spanned the entire 15-foot dining table in the center of the room. I examined the white-and-gold dishes happily. I loved Christmas.

"So, have fun." Xei frolicked away happily to the other sisters. They began looking at us and giggling fanatically.

Yelan then came out of the kitchen smiling. "Settle, everyone." Once silence covered the room, she continued. "Dinner will be ready shortly, please take your seats."

I sat down in the chair Syaoran pulled out for me. The sisters immediately crowded all around us, leaving obscure uncles and Syaoran's parents on the other side of the room. I felt slightly like I was sitting at the kid's table at Thanksgiving dinner.

"So Sakura," one of the sisters asked. I made a mental note to actually learn their names at some point. "How much do you know about Syaoran's childhood?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Syaoran shrink a little in his chair. "I mean, you can't know that much," she went on. "He _never_ talks about it."

I, of course, knew nothing about his childhood. Or any other point in his life, for that matter. "I can't say that I do."

"And you don't need to," Syaoran said with venom, glaring at the sister. "Let's talk about Jane Austen."

She grinned smugly. "Oh, dear brother, I cannot be so easily dissuaded." She proceeded to lean closer to me and began whispering. "The night was December 24th, 1993-"

"No," Syaoran interrupted.

"Easter Sunday, 1986-"

"No."

"July of 2000-"

"No."

"Mother's Day, 1986. DON'T INTERRUPT ME." After a long, tense stare, she continued. "Syaoran was eight months old..."

Quickly I figured the numbers in my head. _1988, plus twenty was 2008, and then add... wait, carry the one? _

The rest of the night was lost in a sea of embarrassing memories. I officially knew everything about Syaoran, from the time he got lost in an airport when he was three to his first middle school dance, where he locked braces with a girl named Peggy. His face turned a dark shade of red and remained that way for most of dinner.

"And look!" the sister laughed, procuring a picture from who-knows-where. I took it from her hands and examined it closely. "That was back when he was in a boy band. What was your name, the Iron Fists?"

I couldn't help but laugh at how obviously 90's the picture was. All four boys wore faded denim jackets and hair parted down the middle; the oldest was probably seventeen.

"You look ridiculous," I laughed. He leaned closer to look at it, obviously caught between hatred and nostalgia.

"Just so you know, we played at prom that year." Syaoran sighed, taking the picture from me. "We were awesome. That's me, Eriol, Takashi, and Yukito-"

"_Wait._" I snatched it back quickly. Sure enough, Yamazaki stood right beside Syaoran, denim jacket and all. "You..."

"Yeah, we were pretty good friends back in the day." His expression slowly faded, making me feel even guiltier about Syaoran seeing us together. It was just one date, and we didn't even get to eat dinner because my fiancee called during the middle of it. So yeah, not much going on there. Not really sure why he was jealous, but I guess any decent 90's boy band has a policy about not stealing each others' chicks.

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

After a couple more hours of socializing, Syaoran and I finally felt leaving was justifiable. I gratefully took Syaoran's coat and wrapped it around my frozen body as we quickly made our way to the door.

"We'll miss you sooo much," one of the sisters cooed. "Byee!"

I waved awkwardly as Syaoran opened the front door. A sudden, violent burst of cold air hit me like a semi-truck.

"CLOSE IT NOW," I commanded. He obeyed, shutting the door quickly.

"Here." Syaoran rummaged through his coat pockets for his keys. "We are going to run as quickly as we can."

I slid the coat on and nodded. "Which one is your car?"

He frowned. "You don't know?"

"No, it's just-" I peeked out the door. "They're all covered in snow."

Syaoran poked his head out. "Hm." He hit the alarm button on his keys; two yellow lights flashed underneath the blanket of snow. "Well. That's reassuring."

"Okay." I jumped up and down a little bit, stimulating my blood flow. "Let's do this."

Syaoran gripped the handle of the door and paused dramatically. After taking a deep inhale, he threw the door open to let in another violent burst of cold air. I flew past him into the flurry, my feet and shins waddling quickly to the car.

"Aaaaahh!" I cried, warrior blood pulsing through my veins.

Syaoran trudged behind me, looking less like a warrior and more like an extremely resentful man.

I ripped the car door open, and with a final look of triumph, slid into the cushioned seat and closed it shut.

Syaoran sat down beside me and turned the engine on with shaky fingers. His teeth were chattering violently.

"Are you all right?" I asked quietly, shivering uncontrollably. Semi-warm air hit me like a gift from the heavens.

"Let's just... sit here for a second." He grabbed a thick, black polar-fleece blanket from the back and draped it across the entire front seat. I kicked my shoes off gratefully and curled up into a ball, resting against him. Maybe I could transfer some body heat.

_This is nice,_ I thought to myself. The radio had automatically turned on, something I had ignored earlier, and began to play "Baby, It's Cold Outside."

_This is a nice, romantic moment. I like this._

He then sneezed in my hair.

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"You can still walk, I promise." I guided Syaoran, still clad in his fuzzy blanket, onto the couch, where he proceeded to fall over and begin moaning.

"Chill out. I'll be there in a second." I ran to my room quickly and changed into warm, soft Harvard sweatpants. I had a feeling that I was going to play nurse.

"Sakuraaa," he groaned in a deep voice. It wasn't the least bit attractive, seeing as his eyes were puffy and a used tissue was draped across his face.

"Geez, Syaoran." After cranking up the heat, I grabbed another blanket out of the closet and draped it over his shivering, sneezing, coughing, pathetic body. "Do you want some soup?"

He made a "gross" face and rolled away from me. I glared at him and went to the kitchen to make myself some coffee. He could take care of himself.

After a couple hours of nursing Syaoran's every need, I concluded that he was actually sick. Either that or he was just being a baby.

"Can you get me cough drops?" he whimpered. "And Tylenol. Oh, and maybe some tea."

"Anything else, darling?" I asked, buttoning up my second jacket and wrapping his scarf around my neck. "Seriously, though. I'm not going out again."

He looked thoughtful. "How about a hug?" he said with a pathetic smile.

I ignored him and grabbed his keys. "I'll be back in an hour."

_Cough drops, tea, Tylenol,_ I thought to myself as I walked into the lobby. Snow continued to fall outside. At least I got a parking spot under the awning.

After a cold, stupid walk to the car, I started the engine and cranked up the heat again. My fancy new Italian leather gloves gripped the steering wheel warmly.

_If I get sick, he'll have to take care of me. Then I can torment him relentlessly._

I cackled maniacally as I pulled out onto the road to find the nearest Walgreens. Syaoran's car smelled like him. I liked the way he smelled (though this has already been established).

After ten minutes of searching, I finally pulled into a Walgreens parking lot. I shuffled in coldly, clutching Syaoran's wallet in my shivering hands.

I looked at my basket as I stood in line at the register. Cough drops, tissues, chicken noodle soup, Tylenol, Earl Grey tea, disinfectant wipes, Cheetos, and 4 bottles of Gatorade.

"Hi, how are you?" I greeted the employee.

She stared at me and grabbed my basket. I frowned.

"So, how about this snow?"

She looked up at me, then went back to scanning.

We waited.

"$27.92," she said.

I swiped Syaoran's debit card.

We waited.

The receipt finished printing out. She handed it to me.

"Have a great day," she said in a monotonous sigh.

"...You too." I took my bags and walked away, feeling hurt and rejected.

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

I trudged over to the elevator and rode up silently. Syaoran was either asleep or unconscious on the couch, cuddled into a ball of self-pity. I set the groceries on the kitchen counter and sighed.

"Uuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhh."

I looked over to the couch, where Syaoran's head poked up to look at me.

"What did you get?"

I held up the bags. "Everything you wanted. Should I make you some tea?"

He nodded helplessly. "Is that... earl grey?"

"Do you want it?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Go back to sleep."

He obeyed me without resistance. I put a kettle on the stove.

Something that I discovered the other day was Syaoran's music collection. It was completely digital; all you had to do was select an album and it played throughout the apartment. I put on Christmas music as I prepared Syaoran's tea. I decided that we would decorate as soon as he was able to stand.

Finally the kettle began to whistle. I let the tea steep for a few minutes, dancing around the kitchen (elegantly) as music played softly.

I threw away the tea bag and stirred the tea lightly before carrying it over to the coffee table and setting it in front of Syaoran.

"Hey," I whispered, poking him.

He looked up at me with sad eyes, the rest of his face covered with blankets. He was pathetic.

"Do you want your tea?"

He nodded vigorously and sat up. I gave him the cup and went back to the kitchen to clean.

As annoying as it was to care for him, it was nice to see Syaoran with his guard down. I looked over to the couch, where he was drinking contently.

"Why do you keep looking at me?" he asked.

My face heated. "I'm not."

He mustered up a glare and went back to drinking.

Once he was finished, I got two Tylenol for him and forced him to drink an entire bottle of Gatorade to hydrate himself. After a coughing fit, he shriveled into a ball and went back to groaning.

I took the time to clean up his disgusting mess. Dozens of tissues littered the floor around him; I grabbed the small trash can from underneath the kitchen counter and began throwing them away with a disgusted face.

Slowly Syaoran raised himself from the couch, blanket draped around him like a vampire, and began shuffling toward his bedroom (and bathroom).

"Where are you going?" I asked with concern.

"Where do you think?" he grumbled back.

My face contorted with fear. "Are you going to throw up?"

"Probably."

I spent the next few minutes in terror, sanitizing every surface within my reach as if that would get rid of the germs already in my body. I would take the normal flu, sure. But throwing up was _not_ my thing. I refused to throw up.

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Two days later I was crumpled on the bathroom floor, whimpering with the taste of bile in my mouth.

Syaoran had started to feel better the night before, releasing me from nursery duties. Once he started vomiting I basically stayed as far away from him as possible, precariously handing him blankets and tissues as needed. But of course, my efforts were to no avail. After rolling around pathetically on the bathroom floor, I finally found a position where my stomach wasn't churning.

"Sakura?" Syaoran knocked on the door. "Are you okay?"

After I didn't answer, he opened the door to find me in the fetal position. His face was half-amused, half-pitying.

"Do you want some water?" he asked quietly. I nodded and he disappeared.

When he came back, my face was buried in the toilet, coughing up the remainder of my insides. I wouldn't be surprised if my kidneys were gone.

"Here," he offered, handing me a glass. I wiped my face off quickly and accepted the water.

"I hate you," I whispered, voice hoarse. Syaoran smiled and handed me a pillow, which I gladly accepted. I lay down on the ground and turned my back to him. With my eyes closed, it almost felt like I wasn't on a bathroom floor.

"Are you just going to sleep on the floor?" he asked doubtfully. I curled up tighter in my ball of self-pity. "You're going to get really bored."

I was already bored. Bored and sick. Bored and sick and cold.

"I'm going to move you, all right?" His cold hands snaked underneath my torso and knees. "Don't throw up on me."

I leaned against Syaoran's chest pathetically as he carried me into the living room and deposited me on the couch. "Can you drink something?"

I nodded silently and curled up in a ball again. Syaoran disappeared from my limited vision and returned with a fuzzy blanket and ginger ale. I was surprised when he sat down next to me and snuggled under the blanket.

"You're going to get sick," I protested weakly.

He laughed. "I'm already sick."

I snuggled against him as he turned on the TV. "Ugh, no food commercials."

"Well, what do you want to watch?"

"The Weather Channel."

He made a face, but nevertheless turned to the weather. For the next few hours, I knew the _exact_ temperature, humidity, and chance of rain outside. I also got extremely tired of soft jazz. Every now and then I would have to scamper off to the bathroom to vomit my insides out, but other than that, it was very relaxing.

"How are you feeling?" he asked as I walked back to the couch and nestled back into my spot beside him.

"Sick." It was currently 42 degrees outside, with winds to the southwest at 8 miles per hour. "Maybe you can change the channel."

He sighed gratefully and grabbed the remote. "I was going to lose my mind."

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

I woke up two days later on the couch, finally recovering from my pestilence. Syaoran looked at me from the kitchen cautiously.

"Feeling better?"

I nodded happily. "Much better. And starving."

"Well, let's go out. I'm tired of sitting here." He stretched slowly. "You might want to take a shower."

I scowled. "Obviously."

"You smell."

That I could not deny.

"Bad."

"Okay, I get it." I made my way to the shower and stripped off my sick-clothes. The water felt amazing against my nasty skin (a combination of cold sweat, vomit, and bathroom floor). While inhaling the cleansing steam, I realized that I hadn't been out of the apartment in over a week. Yolo, am I right?

For once, I was actually happy to wear normal clothes as opposed to sweat pants. I put a genuine effort into what I looked like, slipping into a dark green dress with long sleeves. I paired it with the boots that Syaoran bought me a few weeks ago and a soft white jacket. It was warm and comfy and _sophisticated. _

"Look at you," Syaoran laughed as I came out into the living room. "I feel unworthy."

He was not.

It was honestly the first time that I had seen the businessman in jeans. This by itself was a travesty; he looked like a model for attractiveness.

"You look like a lumberjack," I stated awkwardly. He looked down at his plaid flannel shirt and frowned. "In a good way."

"I hope that's a compliment." He grabbed his jacket off the coat rack and lead me into the elevator.

"I think it's the beard." He hadn't shaved, which made me happy. He looked so much better with stubble.

He smiled.

As I already knew, it was below freezing outside, with a 38 percent chance of snow. We hustled to the car and cranked up the heat.

"Maybe we should've stayed inside," Syaoran whined like a little girl. I rolled my eyes and put on my seat belt. He could never deal with cold weather.

"Maybe you should move to the rainforest."

He ignored me and pulled out of the parking lot. "What do you want?"

"Chinese," I answered quickly.

We drove around for a while before pulling into a nice restaurant. I gratefully danced into their lobby, immediately taken aback by the most heavenly scent that my nose had ever sensed. I sighed happily.

"Well, do you like it?" Syaoran asked me as I engulfed my food.

"Iff gurrrhhy muuuuhhhfff," I replied. He nodded, as though any of that made sense, and took a sip of water.

I emptied my plate and took a deep breath of satisfaction. "That was amazing."

"Excuse me!" a man said, walking over to us quickly. "Mr. Li, Miss Kinomoto, could I have just a word?"

Syaoran was about to shoo the reporter off, but I stopped him. "Sure. I'm bored."

Sparing me a look of irritation, he held his voice recorder shakily. "Is... uh-"

"Sweetheart, don't look so nervous," I said, pulling up a chair and urging him to sit down. "Relax. Go on."

He smiled at me, glasses askew. "Uh, my name is Jason Smith, from Persons Magazine. Can I ask you a few questions?"

"Sure," I said happily. "We don't mind, do we?" I spat at Syaoran as he glared at me.

"Okay. Uh..." Jason flipped through a notepad nervously. I watched him curiously as he sweated. "I'm sorry, this is just, like, the biggest interview I've ever done. And my boss said that if I do a good job it may be on the front page!"

"Oh Jason, that's great!" I smiled at him. Syaoran looked at me with fiery eyes.

"Thanks. So..." He took a deep breath and read his notes. "Have you decided on a location for the wedding?"

"Not yet," I answered.

"...Oh. Okay." Jason looked deflated, but nevertheless moved on to the next question. "What about the honeymoon?"

Both Syaoran and I stilled.

"The..."

My face heated and my eyes wandered to my lap. "I... I don't know."

"We're going to the mountains," Syaoran answered quietly. "My sisters- and I- wanted it to be a surprise, but I mean, it doesn't really matter."

My eyes darted around the room. "So, next question?"

Jason, at least, was oblivious to the awkwardness and looked happy to have something answered. "M-Mr. Li, who will become the head of Li Corporation after its merge with Veritech Industries?"

At the mention of my uncle's company, I tried to remember the last time I had seen my family. It really had been a while.

"I will," Syaoran answered. "My father will be retiring after the merge."

"And where will that leave Mr. Kinomoto?"

I frowned. "Yeah, what'll happen to my uncle?"

Syaoran looked at me with wary eyes. "Let's not talk about it."

"Syaoran," I warned.

Jason looked about ready to excuse himself as Syaoran and I exchanged equally terrifying expressions. This was one of the first times Syaoran had used his badass business poker face on me, and I would have peed myself if I weren't equally as badass as he. I was a _woman in a man's world. I know how to handle myself._

"Do you want to have this conversation later, honey?" Syaoran said as lovingly as any person can speak through their teeth.

"Actually, I think this is the perfect time to have this conversation, babe," I spat, using my least favorite term of endearment. _That will show him_.

"Jason, you'll have to forgive my fiancee," Syaoran said sweetly, turning to the least fortunate reporter of the month. "Sakura isn't feeling very well today, she's just getting over a bit of a stomach bug."

"Don't let everyone in the world know that I was projectile vomiting last night!" I hissed.

"Mr. Li, are these mood swings normal in Mrs. Kinomoto?"

"_Mood swings?_" I seethed as my eyes locked on the reporter. "You better take that back before I give you something to write about."

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "Let me at least order a bottle of wine."

"I don't feel like drinking," I spat. "Syaoran, can we leave?-"

"So let me get this straight, Mrs. Kinomoto. You've been nauseous recently, as well as experiencing mood swings and refusing alcohol?"

My eyes immediately turned back to Syaoran, whose mouth was as wide as mine. "No no no no no," he whispered. "Jason, _no_."

"Do you have any comment?" he said slyly. The little turd punked us.

"No," I said defiantly, my brow heavily furrowed and my blood rising. "I am not-"

"No comment? Okay, thanks for your time!" Jason sprung out of his chair and bolted to the door. Syaoran knocked his chair out from under him, chasing after the reporter with more determination than I had ever seen in one man before.

"Wait here-" he managed to spit out before he was gone in a flash of lightning. I would do no such thing, as an independent, _non-pregnant woman_.

I chased both of the men out the front door and barely kept up until Syaoran tackled the reporter around the backside of the building.

"I swear to God, if you say anything-" Syaoran threatened, pushing Jason up against the wall.

"_Syaoran!_" I shouted. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

He turned to me without letting go of the reporter. "Do you have any idea what this will do to our image if rumors like this start spreading? Pregnant before the wedding- it's a nightmare."

I stilled. I never even thought about it that way. I just didn't want people thinking I was pregnant.

"Most of our investors are very traditional," Syaoran continued. "If they even found out we were living together- _don't you dare, Jason,_" he threatened with another forceful shove.

"Syaoran, chill out. Let's not add 'assaulted a reporter' into this mess. Let him go."

Reluctantly, Syaoran dropped Jason. With his feet on the ground, he seemed to gain some confidence back.

"You can't stop me," he shrugged. "Hey, all press is good press, am I right?"

"I'm not pregnant."

"So you say, but rumors tend to spread no matter what," he smiled. "Sorry."

Before we could catch him, he sprinted away from Syaoran and bolted across the street. Syaoran stood fuming in place for a while.

"I'm not pregnant, Syaoran. It's not like he can do anything."

"He knows we're living together, he can twist everything we said into some kind of story. Sakura," he sighed turning to me and loosening his rigid body, "this is bad."

"What a little turd," I groaned.

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tylenol, Gatorade, or any other products or characters mentioned in this story.**


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